'Gun culture' misleading propaganda

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for January 7, 2026)

Recently, a 15-year-old was shot and killed by another teen. Afterward, a local official blamed the tragedy on "gun culture". I haven't decided if he said this out of ignorance or dishonesty. Either way, he's wrong, and his use of "gun culture" is as misleading as the propaganda phrase "gun violence".

I am part of gun culture. We don't point "unloaded" guns at each other. We don't shoot at houses from the street. We don't rob people at gunpoint... or at all. We teach our kids how to handle firearms and other tools safely.

This official didn't dare blame the problem on "crime culture". Why not? Why is the truth so hard to face? Politically addled authoritarians prefer to blame guns and the people who aren't the problem, rather than to confront the real issues. Once you see it, you realize it's everywhere, and they do it every chance they get. This isn't helpful, and it shows which side they are truly on. It isn't your side.

But what about the guns? Crime culture uses guns, too, but this doesn't make them part of gun culture. Crime culture uses cars in their pursuit of evil far more often than they use firearms, but I wouldn't be so ignorant or dishonest as to call a vehicular tragedy that happens during a crime a consequence of "car culture".

Criminals also use phones, money, and certain dog breeds. I'm not stupid enough to blame those things for crime instead of placing it with the people responsible. But then, I'm not brain-damaged by politics, either.

Crime culture sees every tool as a weapon. Guns, knives, cars, baseball bats, wrenches, bare hands- it's all the same to them.

Crime culture can seem exciting to young people who are floundering without guidance. They are attracted, even if subconsciously, to the tools and behaviors of crime culture. This doesn't end well.

By blaming "gun culture", this official is providing cover for the actual bad guys out there.

The next time he's wondering why it seems like public sentiment is against him and his gang, he should look in the mirror. If you position yourself against the good guys, don't be surprised when the good guys no longer have your back. You did this to yourself. Complaining about it and trying to shift the blame won't work. It's on you to stop being a major part of the problem. Admitting it is the first step.

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Don't get bitten by the political snake

A long time ago, possibly somewhere far, far away, I pointed out that government is like a snake swallowing its prey (you and me) whole. 

Watching as current events illustrate this point more clearly every day, this feels like a good time to revisit that.

Government is the snake. The different sides (Left/Right, Republican/Democrat, conservative/progressive) serve as the snake's jaws. They only differ in detailed appearance, not in their results. They work together against you by working in apparent opposition to each other. They actually work as a team, and the "opposition" is a well-choreographed maneuver that ends in the snake getting a meal. 

It works because one jaw advances a little bit, then this jaw rests as its backward-curving teeth hold you in place while the other jaw moves farther over you. Each half of the lower jaw moves somewhat independently, like the factions of a political side, making the process even more efficient. The only direction anything can go is down the snake's throat- any and all movement brings the same result. This continues until the prey is nothing but a lump in the middle of the snake, being digested. 

Together, the snake's jaws swallow the rat, and together, the political teams help government engulf you and your rights. Drawing you deeper into the political trap.

People cheering for "their side" in this political drama are really cheering for the snake and your death. No matter how they frame it, it ends up the same. Don't let the snake get ahold of you.

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