Re:The Cause Celebre as justification for Gun Control

A Gun Control advocate, let us call him Mike, and I argued back and forth awhile. He quotes me saying, “Another observation has to do with the police. In Mike's mythical future, all civilians have had their guns taken away and melted down into pruning hooks. Only the police have guns.”

Mike countered with, “Wrong again. Can't you gun nuts get anything right? The police would not be allowed to carry guns (or even own them) in my world. There would probably have to be a SWAT unit, but it would be very select and very, very well trained. But they would doubtless be as lonely as the Maytag repairman. There's no reason for anyone to have a gun if no one else has a gun. So you can relax, Lawrence, policemen will be your friends.”

I responded by saying, “Reminds me of Nigeria. My friend the Nigerian Airways Rep said that guns aren't allowed there and the punishment is severe if one is caught with a gun; so small gangs of teenagers and young men can pretty much rob whomever they like. They have a few spears, some knives, and every once in a while one will have a gun, but it may or may not work. The thing is, no family or person can readily prevent these small gangs from robbing a person or a house. Civilians are at their mercy. My friend wanted to buy a gun while he was here. He was willing to risk the penalty rather than give in to one of these gangs -- of course this is the real world and not your mythical paradise where everyone loves everyone else . . . in fact, pardon the intrusion. Go on with your fantasy. . . But how are the police going to carry out a no-knock warrant if they don't get guns? Don't forget, you are engaging in a fantasy. Leave your fantasy and People WILL have guns, especially behind doors the police want to break down with no-knock warrants . . . most of the time . .. except for the older women.”

And Mike, how is it you are anxious to confiscate every American’s gun, except for select Swatters – not trusting them at all – expressing zero tolerance toward them; while at the same time feeling sanguine about Iran’s obtaining nuclear weapons? I can see confiscating weapons from those in society who represent a threat – people such as convicted criminals, nutcases, etc. Those people we should worry about. But taking guns from the ordinary citizens in a democracy strikes me as . . . anti-democratic. The citizens, according to you are not to be trusted. Instead of a democracy, you want to trust the state. Trust the state, you say, and its minions with badges. They are your friend.

Shoot, maybe Mike’s right. He probably trusts the state a lot more than I do. Let me check some of his old messages . . . hmm. Bush is a x*@36&!!! The dirty rotten Neocons are . . . Rumsfeld is . . . Chaney is . . . . Gosh – doesn’t sound like he trust’s the state at all. Maybe I didn’t check far enough back.

Lawrence Helm