I probably should type about racism cause it's all over the media right now and tearing my mind apart. In particular, I was startled by the death and bomb threats Professor Gates said he received as well as the "banana-eating jungle monkey" comment, but I want to wait on that issue until I fully digest everything and the whole story comes out.
As you may already know, I don't like guns. I don't like knives. I don't like bombs. I don't like nuclear or chemical weapons. I wish weapons never existed, but they do. Everyday I seem to hear a lot of stories of people getting killed by weapons - whether it's in the media or whether it's from someone I know.
For every "weapon hater" like me, I know there is someone that thinks weapons are awesome. People love movies with crazy explosions. People like hunting. On a global scale, some people don't seem to give a damn about mass destruction and war. It was "cool" that the USA hit Japan with atomic bombs. All the time, I hear people say, "Let's bomb the hell out of Iraq and just get it over with". Human history has been shaped by and is defined by massive wars. Listen to this song (language warning) by Fat Joe, MOP, and Gangstarr: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9nn5U8-87o They seem to like guns a lot.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want a person's life being taken away from him/her ever again by another person.
What I don't like about weapons is the potential power advantage it gives one human or one state over another. When I see a police officer carrying an automatic weapon, I feel squeamish. I don't think anyone should have the capability to take someone else's life so easily. I understand the argument of "guns don't kill people. people kill people", but at the same time, it's so much easier to kill another person if you have a gun.
On a global level, countries with the best weapons/technology/armies have all of the power. Do I think that's fair? No, but at the same time (for selfish reasons) I am glad I live in America at the moment for the freedom/protection it enables me to have. I also know that it is probably a good thing to have armed police officers in case the public needs to be protected.
The optimist and idealist in me wants to make all weapons illegal, take every weapon that currently exists, and destroy it. If all weapons were destroyed, no one would have an enormous power advantage over anyone else (except for natural physical strength). Crimes in general and murder would be much more difficult to commit. This is a good idea, isn't it?
The pessimist in me tells me that this solution is not feasible. The problem is (i) people are power hungry/selfish and (ii) people don't trust each other. If all weapons were destroyed, who is to say that someone wouldn't just make a gun and start shooting people with no one around to stop him. If the USA disarmed itself of nuclear capabilities, another country could just bomb us without any fear of repercussion.
Weapon creation has escalated from simple bows and arrows (there were probably other things before them) to weapons capable of instant mass destruction due to this lack of trust amongst people and hunger for power. The last couple of lines in Batman Begins (sorry if I am spoiling it for anyone) illustrate this:
What about escalation?
Escalation?
We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds.
And?
And *you're* wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops. Now, take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Got a taste for theatrical, like you. Leaves a calling card.
Given our current state, I'm not sure what solutions can be implemented to prevent murder/crime or at least better regulate who is carrying weapons, but I'm thinking about it.
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