When I was a pre-teen Mom and Dad got me the Paladin gun set. It had the belt, .45 with bullets I could put caps in, and a derringer. It was the envy of my fourth grade class. Most of the boys wore our “side arms” in class until the principal decided that was enough. During that time few adults had a handgun. Most had a long gun for sport. I had a 20 gauge shotgun. Most of us matured, but millions haven’t.

The movies and TV were filled with westerns showing every man either carrying a gun or having one under the counter. Every bartender had a double barrel shot gun he pulled out to intimidate trouble makers. The image of every “real man” carrying a gun has created the need for today’s rush to carry a gun. In reality very few “real men” carried a gun on their hip. My toy gun was light but heavy for my skinny body. A real .45 gun, belt, and holster weigh several unnecessary pounds. That extra weight is why the movies were theatrical and not realistic.

So why is it so important today for the average citizen to wear a concealed gun. Why are the gun lobbies (there is more than one) pushing for open carry like the Texan nutcases. Is it because the gun manufacturers pump millions into those lobbies to promote sales and fear? The underlying message is the more guns we own the safer we are. To get women to buy the manufacturers will sell them a pink gun. The NRA hired a media consulting company for millions of dollars each year to promote gun ownership. They hired Charlton Heston at a huge salary to be their front man. They have flooded the internet (Russian, too) with propaganda that is misleading and often completely false.

Why isn’t the escalating violence with guns being attributable to the greater number of guns being bought? Why is it the occasional “hero with a legal weapon” played up by the gun lobby and not the hundreds of others where the drunk went back into the bar and emptied the magazine? The lobbies are pushing a reciprocal allowance of concealed carry. This would allow those states where being a warm body is all that is needed to get a license. Some of them allow internet sign-ups from other states and countries. Everyone would be upset if somebody got a driver’s license by taking a test on an internet game.

Imagine what our country would look like if some limits are put on what weapon can be carried in the “right to bear arms” line in the second amendment. Could an arm be that weapon with a rotating drum of explosive charges or a real automatic rifle? Why is a 30 round magazine needed? Why is it the majority of the NRA members want sensible laws but the leadership promotes more extreme laws? Money, money, and more money to the organization. That’s why the NRA is pushing greater gun rights in over 50 other countries.