Bad Guys With Guns
By Trevor K. McNeil
Gun Culture
America has a gun culture. More than any other country, Americans love their guns. The only other place in the democratic world that has as many guns in civilian hands is Northern Ireland. Most of those weapons, are imported from the United States. Intended for use by the Emerald Isle’s alphabet soup of republican and anti-republican paramilitaries. ‘Republican’ in this case meaning to join the Republic of Ireland. Not that having more guns than an urban war-zone puts most Americans off.
Rallying Anthem
America’s gun love is so strong it has led to a willful ignorance seen in few other cultures. John Lennon wrote a satirical song, directly mocking American gun culture titled Happiness Is A Warm Gun. Weirdly, that scoffing rebuke of the gun culture has been adopted by America’s horrifically powerful pro-gun lobby. An instance of sick irony rivaled only by the embracing of Tomorrow Belong’s To Me, a song from the famously anti-Nazi musical, Cabaret, by the American far-right as their rallying anthem.
Web of History
Guns are in the American bloodstream. American history is full of instances of territorial skirmishes prior to the orgy of violence known as the American Revolution. And then of course, there was the ‘clearing the West’. The “justified and inevitable” expansion to the Pacific by white settlers disguised as a religious inspiration known as Manifest Destiny. Move on to the bullet-flying free for all of old west mining towns far from the civilizing influence of city and state governments. It was in this context that first gave rise to the notion of “stand your ground.” This general principle is law in many states and aids trigger-happy Americans, in particular States, to get away with what would be considered murder one or two states over.
Oh, The Irony!
The idea that such actions are legal is enabled primarily by baffling readings of the Second Amendment. The twisting of the Second Amendment would be laughable if it were not so sad and dangerous. What is lost on almost everyone is that rather than being a Teflon defense of gun-control legislation, the Second Amendment, at the time of its writing was gun-control legislation. It was designed to limit the use of the many muskets littering post-colonial America to “well-ordered militias.” As opposed to any Tom, Dick or Harold who might want one, as is currently the case. There are many states in which one does not even need a licence to ‘conceal-carry’, allowing anyone to bear arms at anytime, as long as they are 18 or over.
Freedom to Kill the Free
Little wonder then, that it in the age of COVID-19 those convinced that their freedoms are being infringed, all of them white coincidentally, have been moved to action. Demonstrators so morally outraged that they can’t dine-in at Denny’s for a few weeks have turned to carrying AK 47’s in protest. Assaults on state houses across the country have uncovered a deep psychosis in America. A small vocal group, funded by unknown forces, are demanding a return of their freedoms. Freedom to massage, to tattoo, to bowl; is an odd juxtaposition to public health. All the while a suspected white supremacist president angrily tweets encouragement and support for this reckless “liberation” drive.
Conclusion
Hot lead and assault rifles are replacing common sense in parts of America. A madness seen nowhere else in the world. As millions fall ill and the death count climbs from COVID-19, Americans resorting to gun-toting solutions underlines the complexity of America’s gun love. Gun wielding “freedom activists” menacing legislators in Michigan is hair-raising. In no other country are government instructions to wear face coverings combined with social distancing orders grounds to terrorize or shoot other human beings. Lawmakers and security officers, attempting to prevent the spread of coroavirius are facing threats of hot lead. Defying a tyrannical government, in armed defense of life and liberty as if they are the second coming of the Black Panthers is astonishing. Huey Newton is spinning in his grave.
