guns

It's not the guns. It's not the laws about them.

It's religion. Not the religion where people go to church, and worship their gods, but the religion where people worship guns.

Some of this is pure machismo. Guns are cool! People with guns are badass!

I know people who are into guns as a hobby. Target shooting, hunting, collecting. They have all sorts of nerdy knowledge about guns. That's not the problem. The problem is the mythology. That guns are going to save us. The only one who can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. An armed society is a polite society. Patriots have guns. Guns make patriots. We must be ready to keep our freedom from those who will take it.

This mythology is what is killing us. It's not just guns that are seen as the answer, or course. Guns are awesome, but implicit in the use of a gun is the willingness to kill people. The ability to use violence as the solution. So violence becomes the solution. For many problems. Black people are the problem? Kill them. White people are the problem? Kill them. Jocks are the problem? Kill them. Christians are the problem? Kill them. Bicycle thieves are the problem? Kill them. Trespassers are the problem? Kill them.

It's a culture of violence. But you can't blame it on video games... any more than you can blame it on the NRA promoting the decriminalization of gun violence. It's been proven that the more you say something, the more people are likely to believe it. Gun proponents say over and over that owning guns is a God-given right, and we shouldn't do anything to restrict their use. Over and over. Nevermind that they won't take action to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, or convicted felons, or domestic abusers, because that might make it slightly more difficult for a law-abiding citizen to buy more guns. God forbid the buyer wait a week. They just continue to preach the gospel of guns.

Actually, I'm not sure if it's a religion, or a cult.