When I was on my first ever trip to the United States of America, I had the chance to visit Austin, Texas. I was extremely excited to see it as I grew up watching the long running soap opera, Dallas where the obscenely rich is running oil businesses wearing big hats and just all round being Texan.

I had a business trip there and looked excitedly from the plane when we flew over Dallas. There were huge mansions with big swimming pools. Just as they had shown on TV!!

On my first evening after my visit to a Texan company I chatted a little with the receptionist who was friendly and seem eager to recommend some good restaurants for dinner. I took the chance to ask if there was a mall outlet around and she showed me where to go on the map. A physical paper map in those days. After I thanked her, she said off handedly to me that I should not venture too much to the East as there were reports of drive-by shootings there.

I was shocked and asked if the police were nabbing some bad guys and needed to fire their weapons. She just looked at me and said “No, its just some people who have guns and are shooting at vehicles that drive by”. That was the first time ever I have heard of civilian shooting at other civilians.

As I drove to find the outlet mall in my rental car, I got more uneasy as I could not find it. I was rather lost and it was getting dark. And the nagging warning that I may be on the east side was uneasily at the back of my mind.

In the end I did not find the mall but did find my Hotel as I settled in the comfort of the room, I was thinking about how such an advanced country could have such easy accessibilty to weapons that is obviously used to hurt other people. Guns are never “mis-used”as a weapon because they ARE weapons and its intent is to kill or injure.

Even in my own country which is by no means as developed as the USA, I felt safer in the knowledge of the possibilty of being shot by a fellow citizen to be close to zero.

Now with the absurd notion of arming more people ie. Teachers for “self defence” , the chances of more people getting hold of weapons to injure others increase ten fold.

And by the way what about tourists who are visiting America ? Shouldn’t we also get rented guns when we visit? I mean since people get it for self defence, it makes sense for us tourists to be packing one too as we stroll around Central park or the zoo, in case we chance upon a shooter shooting at us does it not? Sounds absurd right ?

And although it sounds more and more like a scene from a cowboy movie, sadly what we are really talking about is the great USA of today.

-The End-