Like many young boys, I owned a holster and a pair of guns to go with it as we played ‘cowboys and Indians.’ Growing older, we played ‘Zorro’ with our sticks as swords until many moms noted “you’ll poke your eyes out!” Still growing a bit older, I saw an ad for this little BB gun with plastic pellets and you could crank it, push a button and it would fire all the BBs at targets or at my brothers.
Now, what could possibly go wrong with that? My mother said “no way!” I graduated to an air rifle but I had my rifle taken when I was caught sticking it in the ground loaded with mud and firing it at my younger brother. I later reached a point where I got more interested in girls than guns.
In today’s United States, we have more guns per capita than any other nation, we have more mass killings than any of the democratic countries, we have politicians who are advocating open carry laws without permits, and we continue to do very little to curtail the use of assault weapons when the majority of U.S. citizens would be happy if those firearms were banned as happened for 10 years under President Clinton. As of Feb. 14, the United States has had 67 mass killings which amount to more than one a day. Many of those killings were due to assault weapons. It seems what could possibly go wrong has gone wrong in the greatest possible way.
In my moments of wondering, I picture the “End Times” as Jesus and an army of angels armed with assault weapons floating down on a cloud to restore law and order just like the cowboys of the old West.
I think of my hero, Superman, from years ago who fought for truth, justice, and the American way, and it’s been changed to a gazillion guns, grifters, and gaining power over your adversaries in addition to a bevy of lies and thousands of cheaters. What could possibly go wrong is going wrong!
The state of Missouri recently passed a law allowing minors to carry guns. Now, what could possibly go wrong with that? Very quickly, Missouri politicians realized that might be a bad idea and the law was blocked for now.
It seems politicians are more interested in banning books than assault weapons, but this Old Codger sees the banning of assault weapons as a necessity because in the near future, I can envision people asking why can’t they own a tank or at least a bazookas because they’re getting real tired of their neighbor playing loud music or maybe an armed untraceable drone would be better? and wouldn’t it be really cool if someone had their own jet fighter or bomber? What could possibly go wrong with it? Weapons of war should be banned and used only by soldiers. Why in the world would the National Rifle Association ban firearms at their meetings and rallies? What could possibly go wrong with that? Do they know something we don’t or do they just want to play it safe like the rest of us?
Finally, the Supreme Court recently ruled that it was illegal to take a man’s gun just because he threatened his wife.
Again, what could possibly go wrong with that decision?
Now, what do you think would have happened if I told my mother that it’s my constitutional right to have my air rifle even though I threatened my younger brother with it? I know the clear answer to the question: My mother, acting as the entire Supreme Court in our house and backed by my father, would have confiscated my gun for a few weeks with the understanding that it would be taken for good if I ever threatened my brother again. That’s it for this Old Codger shooting off his mouth until next week.
Bob Derr, The Old Codger, lives in Selinsgrove.