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WhyteP38 wrote, "Killing your fellow human being is not a normal human behavior, despite what cynics might say."
I may be a cynic, and this might seem to contradict what I said before, but I don't think it does.
My response is that killing your fellow human being may not be "normal", like eating, but it is pretty common and the killing instinct is not far below the surface. Most of us have been conditioned to think of killing as wrong, which is why military recruits have to be re-conditioned to kill when ordered or when it is necessary. But the basic instinct of self-preservation is that if faced with a choice of killing or being hurt, physically or otherwise, most people will not shrink from killing. And we will use whatever weapon we can find, which is why gun control laws don't prevent murders. Even minor inconvenience can cause murder - a woman kills her child for crying; a man shoots his girlfriend for threatening to leave him.
Some psychologists say that the basic instinct in mankind is the seeking of power. I agree. Even the most basic instinct, sex, is deep down about power. Robbers don't point guns at people because they need money, but because it gives them a feeling of power. Men don't rape women because they need sex, but because it is an exercise in power.
Women don't use their "wiles" on men because they want something, but because that is the way they attain power over the stronger male. And yes, many people carry guns, not because they are concerned with a real threat, but because it gives them that feeling of power. People become police officers, not to protect and serve, but because they want the power of a badge and gun. And for those who can't have real power, there is a big market in fake badges and blank firing guns so people can pretend to have power. The body building industry thrives on the desire to be strong, to have power. The automobile industry sells ever larger trucks and more powerful SUVs because their customers want power, want to feel they dominate the wimp in the Honda Civic.
Guess why .500 S&W revolvers and huge monster rifles sell so well.
Jim
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