Despite my obsession, er fascination with the American Civil War, I abhor guns and violence. I hope to inherit my great-great-grandfather’s officer’s sword, but not his musket.

As I see it, yesterday’s massacre highlights two aspects of American culture that highlight the dangers of an open society. First, mental health remains stigmatized. The alleged murderer is being called a nut, a wacko, a wack-job, etc. Such labels de-humanize him and others who suffer from mental disorders and give us something to blame—‘oh, he’s crazy.’

While Loughner may indeed be suffering from paranoid delusions, why was this young man not hospitalized—people knew he was a danger to himself and others? Because his right to liberty—a right particularly strengthened by Presidents Nixon and Reagan—makes it very difficult to commit an adult against their wishes.

Second, his right to purchase and bear arms. He legally purchased a Glock 9mm with an extended clip. This a weapon for hunting human beings. It has no other purpose. Again, our society values personal liberty and the right to bear such arms above all else.

I don’t pretend or presume to have answers to such complicated matters. I do see that if we are going to champion individual liberty and access to weaponry that my Brevet Captain could scarcely dream of at the Wilderness or Petersburg, such events are unfortunately going to be part of the fabric of America.

this poor cop at Virginia Tech had been armed, none of this would have happened.

See, Republicans and assorted gun nuts, this is why your arguments are specious.

This poor man was simply doing his job, and some wack job murdered him.

I hope the shooter rots in jail; death is too good for cold blooded murders. Oh, he shot himself. What a brave fellow.

My thoughts and heart go out to the victim’s family and the Hokie community.

I don’t want to know people who would listen to a 911 call like that. I won’t listen to it, and I won’t link to the story or click the link or watch SportsCenter’s broadcast of it. And I hope you’ll do the same.

Kasandra Perkins deserves better than this kind of exploitation, and deserves to be remembered as woman whose life was cut short because this culture of ours refuses to acknowledge or deal with the fact that we are addicted to guns and violence and misogyny.

2yellows replied to your post: No. Just No.

He had nine guns. Why does one man need nine guns? One, okay. A pistol and a shotgun/rifle, fine. NINE?

I guess I could almost see having nine guns if one was a collector. Maybe.

I won’t have any. Even my brevet captain’s .58 caliber muzzle-loader is not welcome in this house and it can’t fire any more. I hate guns.

His officer’s sword, on the other hand…

But back to your point Jack, NO private citizen needs nine guns. That’s an arsenal.

Man, the ‘guns’ tag is terrifying.

What’s the appeal?

I refuse to accept ‘don’t politicize this.’

It is political when cowards hide behind the 2nd Amendment and say, ‘oh, we can’t talk about gun control at a time like this!’

Now, as always, is the time.

We are addicted to guns in this culture because so many of the white men in this culture have convinced themselves that ‘other people’ (women, people of color of course) are going to take what has been ours (I know my privilege) for centuries. And these cowardly white men are armed to the teeth because the cowards at the NRA and their political cronies in DC and in every state capital make sure they can be by leaving huge loop-holes ‘for the hunters’.

And that’s what these crazy-ass mass murders are doing: hunting children. Hunting teachers. Hunting family members.

I am so angry.

Shocking news is shocking; scared white guy with gun kills innocent brown kid for mistakenly pulling into driveway.

But guns don’t kill people.