The right to bear arms

After every gun tragedy like the Colorado theater massacre, the hand wringing starts, the flags come down to half mast, the editorials speak out about our gun culture, the politicians get on their soap box to express sympathy for the victims and assure us that as Americans we have the strength to survive yet another senseless killing. This will all pass in a few days and except for the victims of the crime, life will once again be normal. There will be some efforts to revive the gun control debate, but they will be feeble and inevitably delayed for another day. You see, there is no need for a debate. The American people have had numerous opportunities to insist on effective gun control and wimped out each time. Even the assassination of a president could not lure the public away from its fascination with guns. The American people do however exercise their right to annually commemorate each bloody event with speeches and editorials while  reserving the right to bear arms. Tragically, they also reserve the right to use guns. As the NRA, the organization that has the government of the United States in its pocket, has let it be known, they will spend whatever it takes to defeat any official who dares limit the use of guns. The fact that they can make this boast only proves that they have the support of the  majority of the American people. Americans are satisfied with the proliferation of weapons in our society and their use by demented and misguided citizens. To their credit, they at least draw the line at guns in the hands of terrorists - those people with funny sounding names. Someone with a name like James Holmes may not be a terrorist--only the creator of terror.

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