Americans, contrary to all of the hype, are a fearful people, arming ourselves on our persons, in our cars, in our homes, in our places of work and recreation. To protect ourselves from…who is not us?

However, as people who tout Democracy at every opportunity, we can claim to be truly democratic, at least in this instance. Everyone, everyone, everyone has the right to a gun. No gun is too powerful, no person too volatile for them not to pair up in a perfectly legal and honorable way!

I have been mocking our cowardice and resulting gun-love for a long time. But now, finally, I too am fearful. If only buying a gun could solve my problem—the fear I feel for an armed world, a world of sociopaths uncontained, a world of glorified violence. If I sound like a very unhip person, unappreciative of the ‘art’ involved in stories of meth-making and death and destruction—not true. I love death and destruction within the pages of my latest crime novel…yeah yeah yeah, how quaint. But never mind all that. I’m scared. Finally I am really scared.

Of youngsters with no place in a normal world but who will be released out among us soon quite probably. Of cops without adequate screening and training who are as gun-happy and immature about it as all the rest of us. Of loutish, ill-educated, macho Ukrainian Russian dudes and their cousins all over the f**king world who never got beyond vroom vroom bang bang.