Identity Theft pt 3 – America’s Macho Ego & Ammunition

It’s a shame, but I have to admit it…I’ve become numb to the violence that seems so common to American news headlines.  And yes, I’m speaking about Sandy Hook, and the thousands of other nameless people that die from guns.

When I stop to think about why I feel numb, it’s not because I’m emotionless or don’t have any empathy for those who are victims of  gun violence. The real reason I feel numb is because I feel powerless against it.

What can I do? And this is not a rhetorical question. At the end of the day…what can I do? Yes I can sign an online petition…but after that…clueless. It seems like the agents of change around legislation and gun laws are all caught up in red tape.  So nothing gets done while people die from the trigger of guns daily.

Perhaps I’m too extreme in my personal thought that we should just get rid of guns altogether…I mean, we saw what happened with alcohol and Prohibition. But just take a moment to imagine a world with no guns? I know it seems hard…but just try.  Hunters, you can still use your bow and arrows.  Of course there’d still be crime…but I’m sure the drive-bys, massacre killings, and pre-meditated murder would decrease significantly.

Sometimes I feel like America is just as backwards as it is progressive. America is suffering from an identity crisis. And I’m not calling America insecure, but it sure has an “ego” and issues with feeling powerful.  Why does America cleave to its guns like gum to the bottom of a shoe?

A gun was created to kill…sure initially the right to bear arms was meant as a form of protection against rowdy soldiers, but come on ...we modify a lot of laws to reflect the times we live in.

The wars that have taken place on American soil have all involved guns…when Americans have gotten involved in other foreign conflict affairs & wars…guns are involved. Americans like feeling powerful and they use guns as a means to flex their muscles.  Guns are used for recreation sport, for hunting (on a full stomach), threatening, intimidation and for killing.  And what we’re saying through our gun laws , gun usage, and glorification of gun culture is that  we don’t value the loss of life that comes through guns. We value the person’s right to own the gun. We value feeling powerful, and letting someone know that if they mess with us…they got another thing coming. We value feeling like God, because with our guns we can decide when and how someone can die or be caused pain.

I know that a lot of people argue that guns help defend and protect, and I know there have been cases where a gun has helped protect someone from a robbery,  etc. I’d like to zoom out from those micro-incidents and say, if no one had a gun to begin with – there’d be less robberies.  And if guns are really so suitable for protection – where were the guns for the people in the movie theater in Colorado? Why shouldn’t we all just walk around with loaded guns and be ready to pop off on someone who tries to mess with us? The idea sounds absurd because it is.

In a lot of our movies, music, and video games gun violence is celebrated or seen as a justifiable common solution to resolve disagreements and complete an agenda. The years of our fascination with guns is starting to really unfold in dangerous destructive ways. I don’t know what it’s going to take to thaw our icy hearts and hands from the triggers of guns…I wish I could end this with something more hopeful. I’m not a pessimist, but I am numb.  And the person who owns and shoots the gun is winning…they feel powerful. I feel powerless. America has robbed me of my identity to feel like my voice, my safety and my life counts.