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BRAINS. Which we don't have a lot of in America these days. Legislation on fire arms is borderline idiotic and precisely zero thought has gone into how we can have it while still maintaining safety from government overreach. In some states it's illegal to stop a cop from doing something illegal even if it is obvious that it's illegal. There must be a way to not only ensure that crazy people, criminals and terrorists don't get guns legally while still protecting an individual's right to own guns that protect them from things like Ruby Ridge and Waco. Honestly, the US government is guilty of some spectacular overreaches in it's history. From the Japanese internment camps to Gitmo, if strength/power/hubris could recognize its own abuse we would not need to protect the Right to Bear Arms.
That said, I don't think every single person should have a gun. I think every single person should have gun training. If we want to take this whole thing seriously, then we need to remember that classic cliche from SPIDER-MAN comics: with great power comes great responsibility. You want the power to take a human life with ease? Yeah, well, you need to train for that. If everyone in America had multiple days (weeks/months?) of training and were taught to respect the power of a gun, I think we'd shift the general public's attitude toward guns dramatically. People would no longer think of them as toys used to have power over others and more as tools used for hurting and killing others.
That said, I also feel like, these days, we just can't have nice things! I'm tempted to endorse the banning of guns entirely. The problem with that is, America is teetering on the edge of totalitarianism. We have a really strong executive, a brainless legislative and a populace that is afraid of dying from a terrorist attack. It helps that the average American is an idiot that thinks being smart is stupid. I mean, even taking into consideration mass-shooting stats, the odds of being killed in a shooting or man-made explosion are staggeringly against. MANY more people die from car accidents.
Another point of this comic strip is to call out the NRA for their lobbying and propaganda. Life is full of gray areas and they are preaching gun rights like they are a black and white issue. There's no such thing as a black and white issue. They are confusing people and endangering lives by obstructing any kind of legislation on guns. They are amoral, rich (mostly) white, men who have a tenuous grasp on reality. You know that old saying "If you're a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"? Well, if you're an NRA idiot, every problem looks like a future gun victim. And by the way, an NRA idiot is different from someone who is reasonable about guns. An NRA idiot is not educated and listens only to the propaganda and never thinks outside of their little box. An NRA asshole works for the NRA and spins fictions about how "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun."
Don't be an NRA idiot or an NRA asshole. In the end, we need the ability to own guns to protect ourselves from potential government overreach and criminals. We can't let the only people with guns be the government. HOWEVER, we also can't afford to be gun-stupid. Which we are. I've been trained to fire guns. I respect them as killing tools. I am as serious and careful around them as I would be an extremely sharp knife or downed power cable.
All right, I had better shut up about this or I'll not stop with the preaching.
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