‘Who needs a gun?’
It was just a short email from a friend abroad asking “What kind of country do you live in?” after news of the latest mass shooting.
How to answer? America is a mixed bag, a new country, much younger than hers which flourished in the arts and civilized living while we were heading west to conquer a new world and build cities from scratch. It was rough going and not all the Native Americans were friendly whose lands we were taking over. Guns were as much a part of a man’s outfit as his clothing.
Once the Revolutionary War was over the soldiers returned home, many keeping the rifles they had been given in the fight. The ensuing Constitution said nothing about a militia so the Second Amendment was added in 1791 stating “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This was for staffing a militia, not for personal reasons as it later unofficially became. But once a man had his rifle or gun or both, there was no way he would allow them to be taken away from him. So we became the most gun-totting nation in the civilized world with 200 to 350 million guns owned, resulting in 20,923 deaths from gun violence in 2021 and over 200 shootings in the first six months of 2022 alone. This averages one mass shooting per month for the last four years. And for what reason? Who needs a gun? When a gun is handy alcohol or a simple argument that escalates to fury can end as murder.
The so-called “elites” of both coasts have always been for strict gun control but it is the vast land in between that cherishes the Second Amendment as holy script that has been passed on generation to generation. It is safe to say we can skip the Indian reason, so what is left? Incredibly, some believe it might be the government in Washington trying to take away their freedom. If that were so wouldn’t the government have an army behind it making resistance unwise? To those who cherish guns, the reasons given are based on imaginary fears but unfortunately the results are not imaginary.