Whence Hoplophobia, Revisited

Via Kevin, now comes

Sociological Images: Seeing Is Believing: Equal Opportunity Gun Ownership

...which includes an excellent array of Oleg Volk images.

One of the first comments, by Gwen, includes these words:

The idea that the only way we think we can make a safer, better society is for everyone to carry a gun is incredibly sad. It's also individualistic--the answer to racism, rape, and gay bashing is to carry a gun, not have any form of social organizing.

Yes, it is individualistic. Remember Jonah Goldberg's working definition of fascism?

Fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspects of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action, whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion, must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the "problem" and therefore defined as the enemy.
---Liberal Fascism, p. 23.

As I wrote earlier:

[G]uns, particularly handguns, are very empowering to the individual. A small hunk of Smith & Wesson-forged steel gives a 110 pound woman a fighting chance against an enraged 250 pound muscular man--or even a representative of the State. Guns in private hands empower the individual at the expense of the collective will.

[....]

A 110 pound woman rejects the unitary will of the collective by arming herself. This empowered individual becomes a "rival entity" and thus an enemy of the collective, even if she never uses the weapon.

Gwen is disappointed that individual action might be "the answer to racism, rape, and gay bashing". She goes on to write:

I grew up in rural Oklahoma, surrounded by guns. And I know what it's like to have one family member using guns as a way to control another. I don't think that my mom or us kids would have been "empowered"--or safer--if only she'd been willing to use a gun too.

The answer to the problem of abusive, domineering fathers is not to deny responsible, mature individuals the tools to enforce their inalienable rights to life and liberty.

I disagree with Gwen--Gwen's mother failed in her duty to protect the children. Mom is responsible for her choices, and one of those choices was to let Dad intimidate her with threats of violence. That's the truly sad part of this story.

Gwen is getting close; at least she assigns blame to the father for his evil use of guns to intimidate his family. But until Gwen accepts the lesson that Mom failed in her individual duty to her children, I'm afraid Gwen will be vulnerable to illusory promises of social engineers and professional hucksters.