Wow, you've come dangerously close to endorsing "Bowling for Columbine".

It reminds me of the army chant, however:

"This is my rifle, this is my gun / one is for killing, the other's for fun"

"take a long, hard look"

Maybe a short, soft glance. hehe

Sorry for the Beavis and Butthead moment, but this can also be extended past guns and include cars. Especially the big huge gas-guzzling variety like the Escalade, and the appropriately named Hummer.

There really is a difference between being an afficianado and being a psycho. I just wish the gun nuts could figure out the difference.

Cars are reasonable things to fawn over. They provide transportation and help you in moving objects from one place to the other.

Now, unless that man is evading the police, raping you, or otherwise denying you of your personal rights in your own home - guns are merely a tool for protection - and a dangerous one that need not be glorified, but rather respected and kept safe from morons.

Lynyrd Skynyrd says it best:

"Hand guns are made for killin'
Ain't no good for nothin' else
And if you like your whiskey
You might even shoot yourself
So why don't we dump 'em people
To the bottom of the sea
Before some fool come around here
Wanna shoot either you or me"

Pearl Jam have a nice take on it as well.

"Got a gun, fact I got two
That's OK man, cause I love God
Glorified version of a pellet gun
Feel so manly, when armed"

Pearl Jam has a way of making even gun affection seem all artsy and weird.

The rumor about this song is that the lyrics were written after a conversation with their soon-to-be-fired drummer Dave Abruzzese. So imagine having a song written about your lack of enlightenment, then playing it on tour for a year and then getting your ass kicked out of the band.

Reminds me of Spin Magazine's prediction that Eddy Vedder would climb into the scaffolding at Lollapaloza and disappear.

But what do I know, I'm just a half-assed monkey boy.

I agree that the fetishization of guns is very grim, unhealthy and symptomatic of some deeper issues

"The rumor about this song is that the lyrics were written after a conversation with their soon-to-be-fired drummer Dave Abruzzese. So imagine having a song written about your lack of enlightenment, then playing it on tour for a year and then getting your ass kicked out of the band."

And then watch the band's sales go in the tank because it was your drumming that transformed the band from good to great, and because you were the only one who was nice to fans and spent hours autographing CDs and talking with them instead of staring at your navel all day and abusing your followers and refusing to tour.

Ironically, I suspect that these gun fetishists are actually more responsible gun owners than the average person who buys a gun for self-defense.

My problem with the marketing and proliferation of guns is that I think many people aren't getting the result they expect. A lot of people seem to think they can just buy a gun and they'll automatically be able to defend themselves against attackers. It doesn't seem to occur to people that an attacker may know a lot more about how to use the gun then the owner does.

Likewise with SUVs. I always hear people say, "I have an SUV, so I can drive in the snow." Yet in a month or so, we're going to get our first snow and I'm going to see a bunch of SUVs in ditches along the road on my way to work. Never fails.

Hey Mike, you are dead on about Dave A. being the key to Pearl Jam's success and then failure. Those poseurs thought Dave was so uncool for being happy that the band became successful. Well, they got their wish: they quickly faded into oblivion, starting the moment Dave was kicked out of the band.