The problem is guns.

David Gerrold

August 5

The problem is guns.

It is not about a "lone wolf."

It is not about "mental illness."

It is not even about the stochastic terrorism of the man who lives in our White House.

It is guns.

We are caught in an avalanche of guns. We are awash in a sea of ammunition. We have allowed the makers of guns to pervert the intention of the second amendment.

The second amendment is about the necessity for a well-regulated militia. It was written in the days when white colonists were afraid of slave uprisings.

The second amendment is obsolete. The current interpretation of it is a bizarre perversion of the founding fathers' original intentions.

It's this simple:

An armed society is neither polite nor a society.

And for every "good guy with a gun" incident, 34 innocent people are killed.

The problem is guns.

The second amendment fanatics won't talk gun safety, won't talk gun responsibility, won't allow the CDC to study the epidemic of violence, and insist on distracting the conversation away from the real issue every time.

It's guns.

It's the availability of guns. And it's the insane landscape of madness that requires guns to validate itself.

Congress can legitimately require the licensing and registration of guns and gun owners, just like cars. Congress can pass federal laws requiring gun safes and most important, gun insurance.

In fact, that could be the single most effective way to stop gun violence — mandatory gun insurance.

The insurance companies would love it.

And those who fail to show proof of insurance should have their guns impounded and their licenses suspended. Those without gun insurance, if their guns are used to commit a crime, they should be held criminally liable.

No responsible gun owner would be inconvenienced (beyond the implied taxation on the right to own a gun) — but at last our federal resources could be turned to breaking up the global white terrorist conspiracy with a truly effective weapon.

Remember, Al Capone didn't go to jail for bootlegging — he went to jail for tax evasion.

We can end the gun violence. If we want to. If enough of us will stop voting for the NRA-purchased puppets, we can do it.

The problem is guns.

Got that?

It's the guns.

Nothing else.