No One Has Ever Taken Our Guns

A friend recently said her husband was in the process of passing along his collection of firearms to their grandchildren. She said she hopes the guns don’t get taken away, but confiscation remains a fear.

I suppose that’s because the threat of the government taking our guns is nearly as old as me.

Despite the fact that no one has ever taken our guns in this country, confiscation of firearms remains a right-wing talking point. As a result we have a populace armed with military-style weapons ready to defend their Second Amendment rights against an imagined threat.

And it’s not just firearms designed for killing people that a gun-loving public fears they’ll lose.

“They’re going to take your semi-automatic shotgun, too,” I’ve been warned.

Who “they” are remains a bit ambiguous, but usually implies some nefarious federal agency.

No doubt the NRA and gun manufacturers have done their part to fuel the fear. After all, the more guns we buy and shoot, the more money they make, and money is usually the bottom line.

Hunting isn’t as popular as it once was so instead of sporting arms we’ve convinced ourselves we need to pack people-killers in order to stay safe.

We’re told the world is in chaos and we’d better arm ourselves. Look what happened in Ukraine. Look what happened in Israel.

But while outside attacks remain rare, and we typically end up shooting our own citizens in this country, any talk of firearms regulation is viewed as an assault on our right to keep and bear arms.

Apparently the threat of losing our guns is far scarier than the fear of our kids being shot at school by a nut-job with an AR-15.

No one is coming for your gun. The fear is simply a tool to get you to buy another one. Don’t be a tool.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]