Of Men, Greed and Guns
April 17, 2007
Another April, another school shooting.
It’s still a mystery as to who this shooter was, and why he was angry enough to line up kids in a classroom and blow them away. It’s not even sure that the one who killed himself was the same one who killed two students in their dorm room hours earlier. But what is sure is that it was way too easy for this unstable and criminally inclined person to get himself a gun and ammunition, walk onto a college campus, and blow innocent people away.
I hear plenty of American voices calling for more gun control. And others, just as loud, arguing for more guns, in self-defense. The obvious truth is that we wouldn’t need gun to defend ourselves against gunmen, if it were a whole lot more difficult to get a hold of guns in the first place.
The right to bear arms was one thing back in 1776, when the country was far less populated, and hunting for one’s dinner was common. In the 21st century, the only possible reason to keep gunshops open to all comers is the greed of the manufacturers. Gun manufacturers want to sell guns. Like pharmaceutical companies, who want us to feel sick so we buy drugs, gun manufacturers want us to feel unsafe so we buy guns. They want criminals to be able to obtain guns easily, so we law-abiding citizens feel unsafe and buy guns.
Think I’m being cynical? The pharmaceutical and weapons manufacturers are some of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. It’s no accident that we don’t have gun control in this country. It’s no oversight. It’s greed, pure and simple.
It’s a tragedy that 32 people died needlessly yesterday in Virginia. But you know what? An average of 100 civilians have died needlessly in Iraq every day for the past four years, since the American occupation. Every day. In a war funded by trillions of our tax dollars, driven by our thirst for cheap oil. We’re crying big tears for Virginia, while forking over our tax money to keep killing innocent civilians in Iraq.
All over the world, armed men using American-made weapons are gunning down civilians (often raping the women and children before they kill them), wreaking havoc that creates refugees that require billions of dollars of aid in reconstruction and life support. American gun manufacturers supply the hardware that destroys countries, and then American companies supply the materials and expertise to rebuild countries. It’s a great business plan, isn’t it? Never mind the “collateral damage” of the hapless civilians caught in the crossfire, whose lives are snatched or ruined.
Am I being too cynical?
I’m just sick of the hypocrisy and short-sightedness of Americans.
It’s perfectly clear what must be done to prevent tragedies like Virginia Tech from occurring. Make guns and ammo a controlled substance available only to law enforcement. Sure, there will be a black market, but the prices will go way up, and the net result will still be fewer loose cannons.
And while we’re at it, we need to start reining in the weapons manufacturers who sell to dictators and guerilla leaders abroad. America should not be the weapons supplier to the world! America should lead the way to peace and prosperity in the world, not endless strife and destruction.
I would like to be proud to call myself an American. This April, it ain’t gonna happen.
