GUNS 'R' US

(I wrote this in 1999. It appears in my book, "thepeever.com").

People love guns. This is not something new. Guns have been with us for a long time, although not a real long time, all things being equal. Cave men would have loved owning a gun, but the just couldn't quite get it figured out. They did manage to invent fire, but it wasn't the "ready, aim, fire" we commonly know of today. Then along came Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson. They figured out how to get gun powder to explode and propel a hunk of lead forward. Pretty soon this invention, commonly called a gun, became quite popular. It make Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson very famous, and very rich. Mr Charlton Heston, better known as Moses, then took up the battle cry. He thought this invention was greater than the Bible. He took it upon himself to make sure that each and every one of us, if we so desired, could get one of these guns, at just about any time, for just about any purpose, just because we are American citizens. Claimed it was our right. Today, the National Rifle Association fights for our right to bear arms. They want Americans armed against "evil." This is the same evil we fight against all over the world, with the largest military in the world. With the deadliest weapons. We want to kill all the evil, which I can't help thinking is evil. Ended up, Mr. Heston believed you should not only be able to buy a gun whenever you wanted, but you also have the right to buy a Congressman.
It has always been hard to argue with such sound logic. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Wow. It's obvious Einstein didn't come up with this equation. In order. to get a gun to work, it takes a person to figure out how to get the safety off. And wouldn't you know it,  the person holding the gun is generally considered a human. (But not always). The NRA is known for this intellectual approach  to life. It seems to appeal to their membership.
Let's get this much straight right off the bat: I am not an advocate for all guns being removed from the general public. I'm not that sane. I am an advocate for making it harder to purchase a gun;more thorough background checks; and no assault weapons or handguns. No gun should be able to shot over 3 rounds at a time. Most of the guns killing people are made for just that person. It is time we started holding gun manufacturers accountable for their products. We do with everything else.
There is not an assault weapon or handgun made that is not made for the purpose of killing someone or something. Most these high-tech weapons serve no other purpose. Assault weapons are used by those who are not such good shots., which amounts to about every gun owner I've ever known. Rather than taking a chance shooting one bullet at a time, these new weapons spit out tens of rounds per second. That helps someone with a bad aim. You obviously wouldn't hunt with such a weapon. It would be cowardly to shot anything on such an unequal basis.
Assault weapons and handguns play into our national paranoia, whereby we begin to believe someone, anyone, everyone, is out to get us.  We must be prepared to strike back in order to protect ourselves and our own. The NRA plays upon this survival instinct and uses the paranoia and fear to promote its illogical and insane policies.
There are tens of thousands of sorrowful tales. Daily we hear of stories about kids killing kids, accidental shootings, rampages, hunting accidents. Recently, a six year old took what he thought was a toy gun to school and accidentally killed one of his classmates. The went out from our right-winged gun advocates that the child should be held accountable for his actions. A six year old child.
This is the result of a sad and sick society that allows a small group of gun crazed fanatics, who control a money crazed Congress, to continue taking us down a path that will only lead to more misery and sorrow.