Capes-n-Babes

A few people have contacted me via Facebook and told me that they are really enjoying these “character-based” story lines and really like learning more about the backgrounds of Marc and Joey. I hope that goes for everyone else here who hasn’t yet contacted me or left a message in the comments section. I’m enjoying writing and drawing them as well – I just hope it shows.

Okay, now for something a little more serious.

I’ve always tried – for the most part – to steer clear of many controversial subjects in this blog post because I never wanted to offend anyone and, well, given the current atmosphere in today’s society, it seems that these days, if you offend someone or disagree with them, they boycott, protest or try to get others to boycott your product. Quite frankly, I don’t have the number of fans in which I could actually survive even ONE boycott – so I tried to adapt a very similar philosophy like Michael Jordan’s in the sense that he tried to stay away from political issues his whole career because, as he was fond of saying, Democrats and Republicans both wear NIKE’s and both drink Gatorade.

That being said, with the events of last week, it is inevitable that Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets are erupting in the predictable “gun control” debate. Now, let me be clear from the beginning… I’m not against the NRA or even owning a gun. I’ve shot hunting rifles and pistols before. In fact, when I was in college, my roommate had a Glock .9mm and, on very rare ocassions, we would go to the local shooting range and he’d let me shoot a few rounds with his Glock.

Now, what amazed me the most was how truly seductive the gun felt firing it. Likewise, I was quite taken back and shocked at how accurate I was with something I only shot a few times with absolutely no practice – and almost less training. It was truly a scary experience simply because it made me realize how devastating that weapon could be if my targets were made of flesh instead of paper. It was an experience I never forgot.

But it also made me realize that if more people actually went to a gun range and shot a few weapons, they would quickly learn respect of the weapon and how easy it is to take a life with such a weapon.

So where am I going with all of this? Well, on Facebook, in response to the “we need more gun control”, I’m reading the usual rebuttal of “well, if just one responsible gun owner was packing that night, there would have been less killing”. I’m paraphrasing, of course, but I’m sure you’ve read similar type responses and this is what I am getting at right now.

I apologize in advance to those that think I’m going on an anti-gun rant and are easily offended by what I am about to say but I find that train of thought completely bizarre and I’ll tell you why… the perp who committed this crime was decked out head to toe in essentially bullet proof riot gear. The theater was dark, filled with smoke and a hundred people scrambling and panicking for their lives. To think one person – one trained person – would have the skills, the calmness and the SUPER HUMAN SKILLS to take out the perp in one shot is beyond fantastical. And that’s really the problem I have.

I don’t have a problem with people owning guns. What I have a problem with is people who think they are super human BECAUSE they have a gun. I think this belief that because someone is packing heat that they will somehow one day be a heroic Riggs in Lethal Weapon is beyond comprehension.

There’s a very humorous scene in the original Die Hard when Agents Johnson and Johnson are flying through Los Angeles in a helicopter and talking about how many hostages they expect to be killed and when one Johnson answers “25 -30%, tops”, the other Johnson answers “I can live with that”. It’s humorous because it’s fantasy. It’s escapism. It’s not real.

So when I hear people say someone with the right training and packing heat could have saved everyone in that theater last week without any casualties, I say that’s ALSO fantasy and escapism and anything but real. It’s only my opinion, of course, but had there been anyone else in that theater shooting, only more death and bloodshed would have happened. Maybe the perp would have been killed – eventually – but there also might have been 25-30% more deaths too and no one should be able to live with that. Responsible and trained gun owner or not.

But hey, what do I know? I just draw funny pictures with a pencil.