[This originally appeared in The Nervous Breakdown, 22 May 2012.]
“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” – Robert F. Kennedy
“Oh it’s too sad to be true
Your blue murder’s killing you.” – Elvis Costello, “Shot With His Own Gun”
Basically, I am equal parts realist and dreamer. In most cases I know I am powerless to effect change beyond my little corner of the world, if even that. Still, I often concoct schemes to make the wider world a better place, at least in my mind. But what I am about to propose is much bigger than any “Occupy” movement. This could be the beginning of a utopian paradise. Join me in my excitement.
I have no agenda, nothing to promote but the simple wish for everyone to lead happy and productive lives where no one else suffers needlessly or is hurt unfairly in the bargain. I offer this as a public service, and if any technological savants are reading this, please feel free to canoodle with my ideas on the couch in the living room of your genius and figure out a way to make them a reality.
This is my plan to rid the world of handguns and firearms, starting with North, Central and South America, for these are the places in the world with the highest percentages of homicides involving guns.
