I mean, they’re a tool. A very destructive tool. We have a lot of them in our society.
Most of them, we don’t have to give much of a second glance to, because we don’t often have to think of them in their most harmful capacities – where they are hurting the most possible people.
Guns can more easily bias us, because one of the identified uses of this tool has been as an implement of war – where the harmful efficacy offers greater value.
So what use should these tools of hunting and war have in our society when not explicitly used for hunting or war? – and how many communities could do without these tools given the near total absence of hunting and war?
We are compelled to debate the value of a ‘good guy’ with a gun, versus, the ‘bad guy’ with a gun – because after all, the bad guys are always going to find a way to get a gun – right??
I think there’s an argument to be made that when you saturate a market with firearms, there is a correlation to how easy it is for a ‘bad guy’ to procure one…
But fuck that argument….
There’s one that bothers me even more.
The self-righteousness of any one of us believing we could never become the ‘bad guy’.
We are all one moment, one trigger (psychological, not the one your lil fingy presses), one event, away from being the bad guy.
Or a thousand moments.
What’s the rush?
Does it not happen, that responsible gun owners, become enraged and harm the ones they were sworn to protect? Or develop a mental health concern? Or get a little *too* intoxicated one night? Or.. Or… Or…
An 18 year old – legally acquired the weapons to murder 19 children and two teachers.
Of course a system designed like it currently is would not catch this. It’s not designed to.
For decades now, this has been acceptable risk – and lawmakers have signed off on that risk – knowingly.
Well surely, not knowingly….
Except, this is the umpteenth shooting, in how many years, with how many dead kids?
Compared to every other nation in the world?
And changed relatively nothing?
If you enshrine the right to arms – expect that everyone will get arms, not just the people you want to. So does it not make sense to then to make every effort to make sure you have the healthiest possible population of firearm owners?
It definitely feels like there are a few things missing in the US equation.
Because some of those people will have mental health, some of those people will have crisis, some of those people will get desperate, some of those people won’t have people who will support them, and show them healthy ways to express themselves… and if we give those people a tool, we should be responsible for how they may express themselves with it.
And the reality is, everyone is a good guy, until they’re not anymore. And for some people, that will be true until the day they decide to do something absolutely horrific with a gun.
Maybe that explains some of the police violence we see.
I don’t think anyone deserves, or is entitled to, the opportunity to become that bad guy… I’m tired of guns.
2 MUCH THINK 2 SLEEP 