Column
for week of November 25, 2013
THOUGHTS,
RAMBLINGS and OBSERVATIONS
by
Albert
D. McCallum
Someone
noted “Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.” Those who
passionately demand the elimination of firearms should take heed.
What
might a world without firearms be like? Firearms weren't invented
until a few hundred years ago. In terms of human existence that is
day before yesterday. History might offer a few clues about what
life without firearms would be like.
Before
firearms the dominant weapon was the sword. Skilled swordsmen
trained and practiced for years. They had to endlessly polish their
skills to stay at the top of their game. Clubs also served as
weapons.
In
the world of muscle powered weapons, physical strength dominated. It
was the world of the thug. Physically weaker people had to rely on
the strong for safety and survival. Many lived in the confinement of
walled cities and castles.
Firearms
weren't just another new weapon. They were a new kind of weapon.
Firearms harnessed the power of chemical reactions to replace muscle
power. Early firearms were cumbersome and required some strength to
use. Lighter, simpler firearms followed.
In
the world of firearms anyone who who can lift the weapon and pull the
trigger commands as much defensive power as the strongest thug. A 90
pound old woman can bring down a 250 pound muscled thug.
There
is a reason why firearms are called “equalizers.” Firearms are
perhaps the most egalitarian invention in the history of the human
race.
The
leveling effect of firearms, and the gunpowder that powered them, may
well have been indispensable to creating the environment that made
the industrial revolution possible. A few powerful men in castles
could no longer dominate. The security of the castle was destroyed.
We
can't shape the world to fit any fantasy we might dream. We must
accept one of the available options dictated by reality.
Part
of that reality is that some people, probably many, are willing and
eager to use force to exploit and abuse others. Such individuals
will use any available means to injure and kill those who stand in
their way. They will use the most effective weapons available.
Likewise the victims will use the most effective weapons available
for defense.
When
the Japanese made possession of a sword too dangerous to risk, the
disarmed people invented marshal arts to defend themselves with
hands, feet and common tools. There will always be a superior
weapon. The only question is, What will it be?
Another
lesson from the Japanese is that the oppressors who banned others
from having swords kept their own swords. Force and violence are the
tools of oppressors. History tells us, if we listen, that those who
dominate in the realm of force and violence always end up being
oppressors, no matter how they started. This is the lesson of George
Orwell's “Animal
Farm.”
History
is a bit sneaky. It only whispers its lessons until it runs out of
patience. Then it swings the club. Those who weren't listening to
the whispers are always surprised and shocked, and often dead.
Fantasizing
about a world without firearms is a fool's dream. Those who ban an
effective weapon always keep that weapon for themselves. While
ranting about gun control, nonmilitary agencies of the US government
are stockpiling ammunition.
Let's
assume for a moment that firearms can be eliminated. What would life
be like in that world for the weak and down trodden? Will the
victims of thuggery be better off facing the thugs sword to sword, or
knife to knife than gun to gun? Could it be that equalizers aren't
such a bad thing?
aldmccallum@gmail.com
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Copyright 2013
Albert D. McCallum
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