Here's the bad news kids. We have a problem in this country with our culture. A culture that leans toward violent solutions to end any and all problems. It has been handed down to us by our very leadership and has been accepted by millions as a solution to our problems, whatever they may be. The use of guns for evil purposes is glorified everywhere! On the visual media, on video games and in print media as well. It's everywhere! Guns are just good clean fun. Let's go shoot something or someone today! Gun use and the killing that goes with it is a way for a troubled person to gain fame or recognition in his group. This is the very sad reality of life in the USA. Guns are readily attainable by the responsible owners, as well as those that have evil intent. Doubtful that will be changing soon, or the culture that supports the use of guns for both good and bad.
We humans are evolving creatures here on planet Earth. We are relatively new here and have not yet learned how to adapt to our environment and live in harmony with it. Our genetic make-up is not much different than it was 200,000 years ago. It remains about survival of the fittest, the strongest, and today the most well armed. We humans remain a very warlike creature. War permeates our entire planet with a few dozen going on right now! Whether we will survive as species for much longer is still very much in question. The dinosaurs ruled for 100 million years. So far we've been the apex predator for less than 100,000 years. I don't like our chances to make it many million more. At least not in this form. I suspect what we will eventually evolve into will be far different than how we look today.
I may not have worded this in the best possible way but I think you get my drift. By the way, I am spending more time in the Philippines, also a very well armed country. Over there most criminals and civilian gun owners opt for a .45. They are not messing around with wounding anyone. They shoot only to kill, and that includes the police. What's interesting is there are NO mass murders like we see here! No school shootings, no mall murders, no nothing like what we just saw in Maine. There is also no mob thievery like we see in high end stores and malls happening here nearly every day. There is virtually no road rage (a few rare cases) on crowded streets full of bad drivers. These things just don't happen there! Why is that? Because their culture is different than ours. People do not think that way. Basically they let bygones be bygones and go about their business even if they feel wronged somehow. Why start trouble if you don't have too. That is their mind set! Yes, there are often one on one murders, as a result of a feud over money or a woman. But there are no mass murders for no reason. There is simply a different mind set there, where some things are not acceptable to anyone. Here we have no such mind set. Anything is now acceptable as a possibility for a troubled mind.
I hope this makes sense to many of you. I don't profess to have the answer, but I see what I see, and there is no easy answer. We here are saddled with this dilemma for a long, long time I'm afraid. It could take many generations for our national/world mind set/culture to change in a positive way. In the meantime take care of yourself, avoid bad situations, walk away when angry, always be aware of who and what is around you (I call that my poolroom radar). Be extra careful at night, when the vampires come out. Bad actors like to operate under the cover of darkness.
And yes, to answer your next question, I am a gun owner, ready to protect my home, property and loved ones if need be. I'm sorry but that is the reality of the world I live in today. So far have only had two or three occasions to lock and load, but I was ready when I did. In the meantime my weapons are kept well hidden and locked up.
