Guns Are Cool - with it on the increase in the UK, a look at the nature of gun crime with particular regard to the psychology of guns.
Things that just can’t help but look cool: Ferraris, Giorgio Armani suits, Hawaiian shirts with aviator sunglasses, Dry Martinis in that pointy glass, George Clooney, cigars, Levis and the Sig Sauer P228.
For the less fanatical among us, that’s a handgun. A powerful 9mm calibre, 16 round chunky hunk of steel. I actually have a replica at home from when I was kid (well, 18 years old, I mean it’s kid-ish isn’t it?), and yes it looks bloody cool. I guess it has something to do with the fact that any woman finding themselves in possession of one will instantly turn to a reflective surface and proclaim to be Charlie’s favourite Angel, whilst men may find a strange compulsion to don a Hawaiian shirt, aviator sunglasses, a pair of 501’s and a corner to lean against. That is, of course, before they put on the dinner jacket and take hold of the vodka tonic in the pointy glass, seeing as you don’t actually like Dry Martini, shaken or stirred, or cigars for that matter.
Okay, well jokes aside, this is a matter that seems to stare people in the face but is never truly considered an issue. Ever since we were young weapons have shaped the backbone to our playtime. Obviously this is from a man’s perspective, much as we also enjoyed trying to flatten our sister’s My Little Pony with a brick. We had Cowboys and Indians, Action Man with his bendy joints and Cold War attitude and He-Man with his big sword (no pun intended, you terrible people) to name but a few.
Our obsessions with weapons seem to extend as far back as our Neanderthal ancestors. The idea that we could hunt food without the need for a big cat’s claws and a pneumatic jaw would obviously be as quintessential as discovering fire, the axle wheel, aerodynamic lift and sliced bread. So my guess is this has been engrained on our genes for thousands of years, and there’s probably very little we can do about it.
If we must embrace this notion as only natural, then one should argue war is only natural. Indeed the ideals of conflict are something seen throughout the natural kingdom, it’s just that humans have developed the need and the ability to use tools for all their misgivings and achievements. Organisms in the natural world will use killing as a means of survival, and so do we, it seems. It’s just our excuses for survival have become a little blurred over the centuries, and with the arrival of lawyers.
At least in our modern society, movies seem to be the scapegoat for our obsessions. But they were always there. Original movie stars the Roman gladiators provided the real entertainment back in the day, the only difference being that the Romans did not feel the need for Health and Safety with their stunts. The most studied and revered historical figures are those of war and battle, Genghis Khan, William The Conqueror, even Jack The Ripper and Guy Fawkes, and although we’re all very interested in apples falling next to Newton and Da Vinci’s helicopter, what we really want is to hear how the next guy got skewered for stealing a pig.
In essence, I do not believe that any one stimulus is responsible for this obviously ubiquitous trait of humanity, however many trees you like to embrace. Movies, music, computer games and other mainstream media have definitely not helped, but they are not to blame by any stretch, and it doesn’t matter how many “18” certificates you plaster them with there will still always be a vested interest in their contents.
Kids can separate fantasy and reality from a very early age, much earlier than we’re willing to admit. The problem is two-sided though. They’ll want to emulate Bruce Willis, but they’ll idolise 50 Cent. With games, the psychology is similar, however that line is very blurred. There’s the fantasy as anyone can tell the screen is far from real, but the reality kicks in when actually assuming control of the gun-toting hero – suddenly we’re back to Cowboys and Indians again. I’m sure you all know the reports that the two Columbine kids were shouting to each other “This is just like playing Doom” whilst that terrible massacre took place.
Now of course I’m not saying that all of us are programmed to kill and those that do on a daily basis should be allowed to pursue their hobby in the privacy of their own homes. What I am saying is that we are accustomed not just to death, but to conflict and survival. This survival is no longer necessarily based on food, but it is based on shelter. Whether that shelter is more metaphorical, i.e. in the religious sense, or literal in terms of territory, we are and have always been proud of our fights. This, coupled with the danger element whereby Mr and Mrs Smith next door will never (God-willing) find the need to touch a gun, let alone shoot someone.
It’s clear that guns are much more than just tools, they are symbols of power. I have never been an advocate of the death penalty as I do not believe it is anybody’s right to take a life. But with the gun itself it’s different, it is ironically not a symbol of death, but of survival. Even the most anti-firearm lobbying liberal has been known to let out a slight “Woah!” when put on a firing range. As they say, guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Well, only because people like guns, think about it.
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J~Bright
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