I went to the range today for work. While I was there, I was discussing the finer points of accuracy with one of the instructors. He used Zen Buddhism as an example in our conversation, preceeded by a comment about the possibility that I’d think it “weird.” I went on to say that I am “crunchy” and that being so means that it takes quite a lot for me to think something weird. I was further prompted to explain that crunchy is another description of one who tends to be rather hippy-ish.
Fast forward to about 20 minutes later, when I was prepping my ammo for a course. He stopped by and asked me, if I’m so crunchy, how I feel about guns. I said, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”
Fast forward about 3 hours. On my drive home, my brain continued to elaborate on this point. I need to put it down in writing, or I’ll be thinking it over all evening.
Let’s break it down. What is a gun? Is it a force of nature, like a hurricane or a tornado? Hurricanes and tornados kill people. Is it a cell-based organism, like a shark or a nightshade plant? Sharks and nightshade plants can kill people. No, to the best of my knowledge, it is none of these things.
A gun is nothing but milled pieces of metal (and perhaps wood and/or plastic) put together in such a way that, when combined with the proper projectile(s) and the necessary amount of explosive material, when operated in a manner consistent with its design, is capable of putting that projectile in motion, in a particular direction. What if there is no operator? Is the projectile from a gun (or the gun itself - think blunt force) capable of killing a person if no one is touching it. It’s possible, in the right situation, but such situations are rare. What if there is an operator, but no gun? Is the operator capable of killing a person without using a gun, assuming that the operator has the mental capacity to conclude that other methods will also result in the death of his or her target? Were no people killed at the hands of other people before the invention of the gun?
If your answers are, like mine, that:
-no, a gun is not generally capable of killing a person without an operator
-yes, an operator without a gun is capable of killing a person
and
-yes, people have been killing people since long before the invention of the gun
what else is there to conclude, than that people kill people, and that guns are merely inanimate objects that some people simply choose as their deadly weapon of choice?
The human animal will always be capable of killing, regardless of what weapons are available to them. Knowledge, as well as several of the human emotions, can make the human itself into a weapon in the absence of an externally acquired weapon.
As I will say for many of the problems in today’s society, the solution lies with proper parenting. Proper parenting includes taking the steps necessary to ensure that one’s children are healthy, properly educated (socially *and* academically), and not abused.
As I’ve run off on a mini tangent, it’s time to stop now.
[#random#]