I was looking at some videos made by people who support- dare I say, "worship"- the open carry of assault rifles. I'd post them here but they are all like 15 minutes each of really fucking annoying whining. Other than promoting gun sales, I really can't see what these videotaped 2A stroke fests really accomplish.
What is the goal? It almost seems like they want America to get to the point where seeing young, heavily-armed white men is a regular occurrence, nothing to sneeze at. Yes, that young man with the AR-15 approaching the grade school could be a mass-killer but, he could also be a patriot stopping by to randomly protect the kids from mass-killers. You just never know! And doesn't one allow for the other? Doesn't the former illustrate the need for the latter?
Product placement is nothing new. Any TV show in the 90's (and beyond) likely showed the characters with a plastic bottle of branded water in hand. It really didn't matter what brand. The message was, don't go anywhere without a bottle of store-bought water. That's great advice in the desert but, in Chicago? People were carrying water in the streets as well as in offices where water was readily available. It was the thing to do. As seen on TV.
Now, the open-carry of assault rifles hasn't taken off like carrying water absolutely everywhere has and likely never will but, the attempt to change the habits of Americans is just as evident. We are all now used to paying exorbitant amounts for water that is no better than what comes from our taps- and often DOES come from municipal taps. Should we get used to seeing guns, guns and more guns everywhere? Why?
Violent crimes are down, according to the FBI. I think the reality is that, just like 20 or 50 years ago, if you stay out of bad neighborhoods, you're pretty safe. There's gangs and bank robberies and 7-11's still get robbed but, unless you're in a bad neighborhood, you're pretty safe. Even schools are safe, just not as statistically safe as they were before Columbine in 1999.
Think of all the carnage since then- the big, mass shootings that get the nation's attention- committed by young white males. Why the fuck aren't people from Texas to Oregon running-screaming when they see young, white males with assault rifles in public?
I think it's because people are stupid. Not everyone, mind you. In the videos I looked at, the cops were responding to citizen complaints about these open carry activists...carrying assault rifles openly. So, some people are unnerved. And they should be. These assholes aren't crime fighters or minutemen. They are proxy-shills for gun manufacturers. This is about sales, folks. Remington, Smith & Wesson and the others want you, me and Aunt Sally all buying their products. Duh! You show a bunch of clean-cut young white men toting attractive looking weapons and NOT harming people and you've got sales! Maybe.
I really don't see it working. I know they are not done yet but I do not see folks walking around with assault rifles. Not even so many with bottled water, actually. I'm in a pretty suburban neighborhood. Why aren't young, hip, urban and suburban types buying into the fashion of guns?
In all actuality, the bulk of gun sales is to people who already have guns. The gun nuts, as it were. Most of us go through life not really wanting to kill anyone. We think about it and we may even joke about it but, we know it's rarely the right thing to do. It's like, smart people know not to argue with their spouses in the kitchen because that's where the knives are. Put a gun on your hip and suddenly nowhere is a good venue to argue, with anyone.
Wearing a gun is a responsibility. It's a lot of trouble. It's a commitment that not everyone wants to make. If the majority of policeman can go their careers without firing their guns, what are the odds that Carl in Accounting will be called upon to fire his? And do we want to find out the hard way when Carl gets angry? In the wrong hands a gun is very, very dangerous. It has always been this way. Arming everyone doesn't change that. How could it? Good gawd- it will just make armed criminals blend in with "the good guys". Duh! Makes you wonder what these guys are really selling, doesn't it?
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