Guns and Lunatics

As usual,  another allegedly famous person, of whom I had no knowledge, is involved in a gun debacle, and our oh so wise, learned TV celebrities decry our freedom to own firearms.   If only whatsisname had not had access to firearms he and his victim would be alive and happy today.

The thought is that more regulation would make it all better.  If we restrict gun usage to only government agents and military, then we'll be OK.  We've done what we can to disarm the military on their own bases, and that worked out very well in helping the guy who ignored the rules to slaughter people on a military base.

The arguments tend to ignore the reasons that people like me would consider having some firepower handy.  When a thug is threatening, admonitions of "don't take the law into your own hands" offer little in the way of immediate conflict resolution.  Wait a minute, my good man, let's call 911 and see if we can settle this matter.

It is a shame that anyone needs or uses firearms to influence or stop the actions of people.  They are an effective tool in the process of self defense when one is outnumbered or out muscled, or when an intruder or assailant is armed.  The fact that there are so many people who believe in taking what is not theirs -property or life-by force will not change by disarming the harmless.

Although it is like having a pea shooter against a tank, I like knowing people can be armed simply because I think the biggest threat to property and life is the institution which has the most firepower--government.  Tyranny functions best when the people are rendered impotent.

It has nothing to do with hunting, or any of that.  It has to do with last line of defense in trying to maintain control of one's own life and destiny.  It is hard to enslave an armed group of people.

Thugs and cops present the biggest danger to one's freedom, if they are not somehow contained.  Usually one needn't be prepared to resist cops, but sometimes things get out of hand.  A government which fears the people because they have means to revolt, should they see the need, is better than a government which has no such fears.  It is one weak link in the system of checks to the power of the state.

That is why the foolish sheep, and the savvy purveyors of the religion of governmental solutions to problems both real and imagined, are all for disarming those who abide by the law.  The more we can't protect ourselves from the cultural results of decades of failed policies which helped facilitate the network of sociopathic criminal gangs and other aberrant forms of life, the worse off we are.

The cases in which senseless violence is in play are often the results of cultural decay, and The Big Pretense.  To think certain kinds of movies and video games have no influence on behavior is a bit naive.  That is not to say those things are totally to blame.  They are more a symptom.

We glorify mass murder in games and movies and even in the news, then wonder why depressed, confused kids who lack social skills and popularity decide to make a name for themselves in some tragic manner.   Lunatic shooters, even if thwarted get more press than people who make breakthroughs in research and invention.  It is sad.

But then, if you see a wonderful, work of art, movie, the fame and credit goes to the major actors, and rarely do you have a clue who actually created and wrote the piece.  That is kind of an interesting thing. It is remarkable how good actors and directors can bring a story to life, but the one who created the story and laid out the blueprint for the film is not of interest.

It takes little thought, and seems to be a case of jumping on the band wagon, when pundits reflexively assail gun ownership and the right to carry as if that is the root of the problem.   They sound like a broken record.  I accused the main news media of being the government's sales force many decades ago, and it has only become moreso over time.   They always seem to think that authoritarian rule is the answer.

When I saw that Costas had to do a little editorial during a football game, and heard the content of his message, I couldn't help but believe he was idiotically parroting the talking points of the usual neo-bolsheviks in order to gain cool guy points with the other useful idiots in the entertainment world.  Surely he didn't really try to think this out.

It amazes me how easily people will jump on peer pressure causes if they think it will cast their image as cool and intellectual.  Especially without the effort of really considering all the factors involved.  This is why people can be led into some form of slave state cheering and with their consent.

Oh well.  This is why decent and smart people should be breeding as fast as they can--the problem is cultural and the more good people that are put into the mix, the more likely it is that the culture will veer away from the Big Pretense and stepping on the sanctity and rights of the individual.

I suppose seeing the story of how Worcester, Mass. has been buying guns from people by offering a free flu shot and a grocery store gift card put me over the top on this.  Turn in your weapons and we'll toss you a little treat!  If I wanted my money to go toward buying guns, I'd buy them myself, not vote my tax money go toward that. Or your money.  Maybe all the peace officers in that town are saints, and the thugs all lined up to trade weapons for vaccinations and food.  Somehow I doubt it.

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