Guns

I liked the smell of gunpowder. I was a 12-year-old camper at North woods on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.  Riflery was one of our activities,  and we shot 22's to earn NRA badges. Target shooting was fun. 

 

My next experience with guns was with neighbors or relatives who hunted deer. TV heroes saved western towns by shooting straight and putting bad guys six feet under the ground. Soldiers fought wars with guns. However, I never knew anyone who carried a weapon regularly.

 

Later in life, I knew a couple of psychologists who carried guns, behavior which seemed unnecessary. Perhaps they were frustrated G-men. We all knew criminals had guns, but ordinary citizens? Not really.

 

I fired all kinds of weapons in the military, and I knew wars were primarily won by who had the most firepower. In my mind, there was a clear distinction between military weaponry and arms sold at places like Big Five and Cabela's. 

 

In the 1970s, the NRA began moving its focus from guns for sports activities to gun owners' rights. Whereas good guys once were badge-toting brave men, now they were independent agents standing for truth and justice. The right to protect and defend was the package the NRA was selling. Eventually, they merged this idea with the conservative movement. Being rich with money from the gun industry, the NRA began donating vast sums to political campaigns. They gave thirty million dollars to the Trump campaign.

 

Aside from the political machinations, think about guns from a common-sense point of view. Who needs an assault rifle? The name says it all. I said at one time, "I need my AR-15 to go to the supermarket." Of course, now the gun-freedom-people will say, "Yes, you do. Look what happened in Boulder." Unfortunately, their argument is circular. With no limits on assault rifles, sooner or later, a 

troubled person will buy one and go on a shooting rampage. If no one had them, there would be no mass shootings. 

 

I think the constitution's architects would be aghast with the management of firearms in today's world. In past times, guns were tools in everyday life. They weren't ends in themselves to be used to intimidate and express rage.