I’m a progressive southerner who also collects antiques. As such, I’ve attended perhaps dozens of small town auctions in which firearms compose a significant number of the items being sold.

I can’t begin to guess how many times I’ve seen people buy (over time) more guns than they could fire with every finger and toe, yet their children have no education beyond public high school (and often not that much.) Certainly it could be argued that the connection between believing the sex fantasy about “protecting America from the entire Chinese army with a gang of proud patriots and their beloved shotguns, then being rewarded by countless virgins” (substitute “raisins” for virgins to get a fuller perspective) would quickly fall apart if surrounded by actual thinking people. But as you say, under Drumpf the target has shifted. As partial confirmation, my Medium ID is my gaming ID due to the numerous threats I’ve received just for the act of expressing progressive thoughts in the local newspaper. My life would be at risk for speaking against guns publicly if my identity were known.

Bizarrely, though gun sales soared while Obama was president (though zero guns were taken), the likely end of structured society through the now certain climate crisis barely generates a notice, as several gun companies are now facing bankruptcy in some form. Bizarrely, Americans were seemingly more afraid of a black president offering affordable health care than they are the brutal end of society. Apparently, the motto of the far right is now, “Choose your fantasies carefully.” Also known as “Get those Democrats!”)

Thank you. Great piece. More please?