Sir, – Evil was projected into a Denver cinema via the barrel of a firearm (World News, July 23rd).
What is it about firearm ownership that provides a method to unleash destruction and death on the innocent? Firearms don’t kill people. It is people using them to create a God-like persona in order to allocate the right to live or die by the impact of bullet on skin.
Society allows the firearm ownership community a platform to create a climate of acceptance of having and using firearms for recreation, while ignoring the inherent dangers of the use of these lethal weapons.
In light of the Denver cinema shooting, Irish society should not be lulled into thinking that these incidents happen only in faraway countries. While our firearm- owning community is small in size, the potential for a member within its ranks to run amok within a public setting exists.
The fact the firearms owners are allowed to blast away at the non-humans of society acts like a safety insulation blanket. We can all relax as the pent-up aggression and physiological issues of firearms-owners are projected on to non-human targets.
Despite strict firearms laws, firearms both legal and illegal flow like water through the veins of Irish society. Held by people who need the weight of a firearm to feel alive and are a gun-cock away from proving their macho credentials.
Guns are entrenched in society. Their existence is a reminder that we have created a lethal monster that can lash out at any time. By eliminating unnecessary avenues for firearms ownership, society can protect itself.
Until that action is taken, bullets flying and people weeping will be the legacy of the firearm ownership. – Yours, etc,