It Takes a Tragedy

David Michaels writes:

In the U.S., we see an average of one gun-related homicide every 45 minutes, or 32 each day.* These are usually treated as isolated incidents, until a horrific event like the Virginia Tech massacre reawakens the public and strengthens public health advocates who are attempting to prevent gun violence. More

As I was reading the above and some of the comments I was struck by an "Aha!" moment. This guy is not interested in logic or in reason. He wants the criminals to have the upper hand because the fear they cause will give him power over others. He is like the Neanderthal men in The Clan of the Cave Bear who would not let a woman even touch a weapon lest the power of the men be diminished. He secretly imagines himself at the top of the hierarchy and wants to preserve its power at all costs.