The reality in all this gun debate is that guns are a symptom but not the disease. The real problem lies in human nature itself. We could take aways guns, knives, swords, machetes, etc. People would still go out and beat each other to a pulp with bare fists. We could chop off people's arms, and they would still kill each other with their teeth.

Human beings are the only animal that preys on its own species, and we do it for fun. We are nature's mistake. We have a brain. We know logically that fighting and killing are wrong. Yet we still fight and kill each other. We tell ourselves we do it for some higher principle, but that is just our excuse because we refuse to admit that we do it for the fun of it.

We are so insane that we have enough weapons to kill every living thing on this planet, and we still deceive ourselves into believing that we have all those weapons for "self-defense", "national security", or some non-existent abstract ideology.

We spend more money on weapons and weapons research than we spend on curing cancer or HIV, or than we spend on helping the poor. I see all these "good Christians" and "good Moslems" and "good whatevers" who care more about protecting their rights to own guns, or their right to get rich, but who would do precious little to help a hungry child anywhere else in the world. These people will say in the same breath that they love God, and that they will defend the right to own guns. I suppose there is no contradiction in saying that they believe in "God is love" and "you deserve to own a weapon".

Human beings are naturally selfish and cruel. That is the disease. Using guns to kill is merely a symptom of that disease. Take away guns and people will still find yet other weapons to kill with.

Take a piece of paper and quickly write down 10 ways to kill people:

Guns, knives, axes, swords, grenades, tanks, war planes, nuclear bombs, bare fists, kicking, poison, anthrax, mustard gas, a rope, etc.

That took 20 seconds.

Now, quickly write down 10 ways to save a hungry child:

Give money, give food ...

I think I am stumped.