I never thought I would find myself agreeing with Sigmund Freud, but I think I know what the problem is for some Americans when it comes to firearms. The reason why the National Rifle Association exists and why some Americans cling to their need for bigger guns, larger ammunition clips, and are so adamant in their wanting enough firepower to handle a small war comes down to what Freud would call penis envy. Those gun fanatics have penis envy. They want it a larger gun than anyone else. They want to be able to fire more rounds than anyone else. They want to have more and more weapons than anyone else. This is like some teenager standing in a locker room shower wondering if his is substantial enough to please a woman.
Much like little boys, according to Freud, want to take their father’s place, but fear him cutting off their manhood; the gun fanatics are so afraid that they will lose their high-caliber phallic symbols to another male, in this case Uncle Sam. It does not matter to them that those same weapons are meant for nothing but to kill other people. It does not matter to them that the research is there that says firearms are more dangerous than any other weapon aside from nuclear weapons. It does not matter to them that their guns could be stolen and either used against them or against someone else. They feel that the Second Amendment gives them the right to own any weapon made to the point that some even feel it is a God-given right to own as many weapons as possible. There is no place in any Bible or other holy book that says people have the right given to them by the Creator to harm anyone else, except for in time of war and even that is to be avoided if someone is able to do so. That being the case, there is also no commandment saying that ‘Thou Shalt Own an Assault Rifle.’
I digress. What needs to happen is some serious therapy for these phallic envying people. They need to be educated that it is okay to have a smaller or fewer guns. They need to be educated that it is okay to have less number of bullets in the magazine. They need to be educated that it is okay to register their weapons as that is a safety measure that will protect them if their weapon is stolen and used by the criminal.
That brings me to another point with this. The NRA has long used the phrase that “Guns do not kill people. People do.”They fail to mention that it is far easier for people to kill other people when they have a gun. It is impersonal. It is not like a knife or a sword where you have to get up close and possibly use it multiple times to kill. It is not like using bare hands where you also have to get close to your victim. It is not like even a bow and arrow where you have to actually pull back to release it. You load a gun and it stays loaded until emptied or shot. There are no accidental shootings, only weapons improperly used, handled, or kept out loaded and accessible when they should be empty and locked away.
What should be done? We, as citizens of the United States, need to press our Congressmen and Congresswomen for meaningful gun laws. We need to stop allowing the NRA to dictate policy. Will criminals still be able to get weapons illegally? Probably, you cannot stop every one. However, will access to weapons be easy? No, but it should not be easy to have access to as many weapons as one may want nor to the number of bullets they may want. With gun ownership, should come responsibility. It is a huge responsibility to allow anyone to have anything that can kill with such accuracy or in such numbers as firearms can. None of us should need reminded of Columbine, the theater in Colorado, or Sandy Hook to understand that. Nor should we need reminded of the countless people killed every year through the irresponsible use of firearms. However, our elected officials need reminded of all of this as graphically as possible. Gabby Giffords is talking more and more about the need for it, especially after her near fatal attack by a gunman. The parents of the slain children at Sandy Hook are speaking more about it through their pain of loss. It is time for meaningful gun reform and an end to the worship of the phallic symbol—the gun.