Guns vs. Drugs

The similarities between the pro-gun people and the pro-drug people have always amused and infuriated me, especially as neither side seems to recognize them in the midst of their mutual antagonism. Gun people hate druggies, and vice versa, and they never seem to see that they're fighting for the same thing.

The main argument of the anti-gun and anti-drug people is that the average American simply can't handle his guns (or his drugs) without supervision, restriction and constant positive control.

The gun people have no problem demonizing the drug people, but argue that the average American has certainly proved over the years that he is indeed mature enough, responsible enough and careful enough to avoid becoming any sort of danger to the community at large. "80 million gun owners didn't kill anybody yesterday!" For the most part, they seem to have a rather cogent point.

The drug people have no trouble demonizing gun owners, but argue that the average American is indeed mature enough, careful enough and responsible enough to avoid becoming a danger or a risk to the people around them. Given the tremendous number of undiscovered people in the country who are consuming illegal drugs on a weekly basis without going psychotic, running their cars into living rooms or swimming pools or removing their spleens with fingernail scissors, they would seem to have an equally cogent point.

Either the average American really is a responsible, mature, self-disciplined character who can be trusted to run his own affairs without endangering the neighborhood, and can therefore be trusted with his guns or his drugs...or he's not. If not, then we need to give up the guns and the drugs and submit to the control of those who know better than we do how our lives should be run. It's for our own good...