Annie get your gun

When I was in West Virginia recently visiting my mom, I was very aware of how guns permeate every facet of life in the U.S. Here, I've never seen a gun or anything that glorifies guns.

In Parkersburg, I went to the mall to get David a pair of gloves. The first storefront in the mall is an armed forces recruitment center--not something I saw on the Main Line in Pennsylvania. Around the corner was another recruitment storefront for the army.

I went to the sporting goods store looking for outdoorsy gloves. I was greeted with about an acre of camouflage everything for hunters--overalls, sleeping bags, hats, gloves, even women's bras and panties. ?? I didn't fancy hunter's camouflage for David's gloves so I moved on to the leather store. There, a wall was covered in women's handbags with gun motifs on them--rhinestone revolvers. The bags had a tag that said "Concealed Carry," so you can let everyone know you are packing heat while you are shopping.

I find it upsetting to think how accepted guns and violence are in the U.S. I'm not opposed to having armed forces. I'm opposed to marketing them as a great video-game adventure when their work is solemn and sad. I'm not opposed to culling deer herds. I'd rather see contraceptive tranquilizers than a bloodthirsty sport. I am, however, opposed to women hunting in camouflage underwear and being armed while shopping. Call me a crazy liberal.

Every mass shooting in the U.S.--and the daily trickle of casualties from domestic and gang warfare--is an outgrowth of a gun-loving culture as sure as the higher level of happiness in Nordic countries is an outgrowth of what has been nurtured there (strong educational system, generous family leave, high quality diet, no guns).
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