Such a Sad Headline
Flying off the shelves ...
W.J. Astore
I saw this headline and story at the Guardian today: "Pandemic and protests spur Americans to buy guns at record pace."
And it just made me sad. Sad because Americans see guns as a security blanket. Sad because guns are so expensive and also so easily misused. Sad because more guns is really not the answer to anything. Certainly not a pandemic.
Consider the sheer expense of guns. A decent revolver, ammunition, a cleaning kit, and a few hours at your local gun range will likely cost at least a grand ($1000) at a time when almost half of Americans can't meet an unexpected expense of $400. Yet people find solace in a gun, a form of mental comfort, a sense of "I'm prepared." For Covid-19? For peaceful protesters? For the Purge? Who knows?
It's sad as well to recognize a gun in the home raises the risk of suicide by gun, and of course of accidental shootings. Too many people buy a gun without knowing much about them -- and how important it is to keep them secure, especially from children.
Look: I've owned guns and have shot everything from pellet pistols and rifles to Dirty Harry's famed Smith & Wesson .44 magnum. I can even cite Harry's "Feel lucky, punk" line from memory. I'm not anti-gun, but I am anti-hysteria.
Too many Americans are looking down the barrel of a loaded pistol for answers -- and that's neither the wisest nor safest place to look. We need to strengthen our communities, not fortify our bunkers. Buying more guns only does the latter.
Yesterday, an oldie by George Harrison came on my radio:
Give me love/Give me love/Give me peace on earth/Give me light/Give me life Keep me free from birth/Give me hope/Help me cope, with this heavy load Trying to, touch and reach you with,/Heart and soul.
What he sang. That's what we need, America, not more guns.