I’m an American.  Because certain powerful, monied people decided they needed to be more monied and powerful, they changed the NRA from an organization concerned with GUN SAFETY into an organization concerned with SELLING MORE GUNS.

Not the same thing.

Consequently, American Culture has, to a degree, been altered — by the notion that MORE GUNS equals MORE PUBLIC SAFETY when not a whit of data says it.  It’s not a coincidence that only 42% of Americans share their homes with guns — and among gun owners, 3% of them own HALF the guns. That’s an awful lot of fire power concentrated into the hands of a very few (mostly white, Christian, male) people.  What is up with that?

Well — I’m here to ‘testify’ to a ‘Truer Faith’ — The Gun Free Faith.  I do not own a gun.  Do not intend to BUY a guy.  Because I DO NOT NEED A GUN.

1 SAFETY — I live in a large American City.  I can read crime statistics.  I KNOW how my mixed-ethnic neighborhood is — and I feel safe in it because it IS safe (as most of Los Angeles is).  Can things  happen unexpectedly?  Yeah — it’s called LIFE. A GUN will NOT protect me from Life.  The statistics and data say quite clearly: Sharing your hoe with a gun dramatically increases your chances of getting hurt or KILLED by that gun.  Since I feel safe anyway, I say pass — DON’T NEED A GUN.

Also — having dealt with EXTREME DEPRESSION with episodes of such despair that all reason vacates the premises.  In a moment of uncontrolled rage or inner conflict, one can do things that one will regret INSTANTLY.  Except, as a bullet ricochets around your brain, you probably won’t even have TIME for regret…

TO KEEP MY FAMILY SAFE-ER — I don’t need a gun.

2 CONFLICT RESOLUTION — I’ll own it:  I’m good with words and that gives me a slight advantage in some arguments with people.  But not always.  Arguing with people who will not see reason because their mind was made up eons ago is maddening.  It can make you downright homicidal at times.  My instinct at those moments IS NOT TO GO FOR MY GUN.  It’s to reach for a BETTER ARGUMENT.

Ditto if someone does something unkind, unpleasant or disrespectful to me.  My response has NEVER been to reach for a weapon and make my point CLEARER with a bullet — or a hail of them.  Not how I roll or ever WILL roll.

3 HUNTING — I don’t hunt.  I appreciate that some people do.  I appreciate that it’s ‘possible’ (I just don’t know and therefore cannot say) whether hunting keeps deer herds from over-populating.  I think Big Game Trophy Hunting is an ABOMINATION and should be flat out OUTLAWED.  No hunting = NO NEED FOR A GUN.

4 FEAR OF MY GOVERNMENT — That, my friends, is a crock of shit.  Oh, sure — it has an echo there in the Second Amendment but the actual fear being acted upon here — clashes between standing armies and state militias is a debate from the past that has literally NO relevance today.  None.  And, as written, the Second Amendment is all about GUN CONTROL — vesting that control in the powers of the WELL REGULATED MILITIA.

Those Americans clutching all those guns to their heaving, terrified bosoms are NOT afraid of any government.  They ARE afraid however of BLACK & BROWN PEOPLE.  And THAT’S why they’re stockpiling all those weapons.  They see the end of White Christian Male Culture and they can’t abide it.

I cannot WAIT for the end of White,  Christian Male Culture.  Therefore I do not NEED a gun.