The handgun – a WMD

A gunman shot 32 people, including two professors, at Virginia Tech in the U.S. state of Virginia.

The U.S. government says it is leading a crusade against weapons of mass destruction (WMD) around the world. Let's not talk about nuclear weapons, of which the U.S. possesses the overwhelming majority and stubbornly refuses to dismantle them, never mind that as a signatory to the Non Proliferation Treaty, the U.S. is obliged by law to do so.

What exactly is a WMD? How many people do you have to be able to kill before the weapon becomes a weapon of “mass destruction”. A single atom bomb can kill hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million people. What about 32? There are millions of pistols and shotguns in the U.S. If every gun kills 32 people, together they can kill even more than a nuclear weapon.

What about a kitchen knife? Yes, you can kill people with a kitchen knife, but to kill, you have to get close to your victim. When you get to 10, it becomes rather difficult, because by that time the chance that you are overpowered is becoming bigger and bigger. So a kitchen knife can not be considered a WMD, but a gun could be.

Why is the U.S. not banning guns? Because the Americans are still behaving like cowboys. Now look at China. There have been a few shooting incidents, but all the culprits were police or soldiers. Guns are not for sale in China. Only the army and the police have guns, and they are kept under an iron discipline. Possession of a gun is a crime, punishable by a jail term. Social tensions are also running high in China, but people are not shooting at each other because they don't have guns.

Perhaps, for once, the U.S. can learn something from China. Brain-dead idiots will never learn. John McCain wants to keep his guns (CNN: Sen. McCain sticks to views on guns). “Obviously we have to keep guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens.” Every law-abiding citizen sometimes does get angry and is liable to turn into a law-breaking citizen. If a gun is within reach...

But of course, without the guns, McCain can't go for a stroll in a Baghdad market...