03.12.01

So, I've been thinking about guns.

I'm no great fan of the things, as anyone who knows me is aware (I'd just as soon do away with them all, and have warfare go back to swords and armor). And in the wake of yet-another-school-shooting, I suspect that my resolve to do away with the damn things should be strengthened. But..

Some of my friends are gun-fans. One has a permit to carry concealed guns. (Somehow, he's also the only person I can think of where I'm comfortable with the notion of his doing so, too.) I don't have many issues knowing that these people own weapons, since they're all intelligent and responsible (if they weren't that way, I wouldn't consider them friends), and can be trusted to a) take care of the dumb things, and b) store them safely.

And there are people out there that can't be trusted with guns; they'll want to use them, and without considering the consequences to themselves or the people they shoot. Or they'll hide them someplace stupid, like under a pillow, where a child can get at it, or where it can easily be stolen.

There has to be away to keep guns in the possesion of the right people, and not let the people who shouldn't have them get their hands on one. Though if that were possible, the people who -could- have them wouldn't need them at all, would they? (Except maybe for hunting, but since I think hunting is a silly boy-thing and a collossal waste of time - if people hunted chickens, cows, pigs, and sheep, maybe I'd be ok with it, but I can't think of a single animal that is hunted that tastes good - I could happily do away with that, too. If men need some sort of bonding expience, why can't they just play football or something? Or just go camping?)

Alas, we're stuck with the annoying boom-sticks, and I can't think of a way to make it good. Maybe if we somehow fixed the social problems that cause people to freak out and go shoot things up, we wouldn't have as many problems with violence as we do.