Written by Guy Cain
For decades certain groups had tried to outlaw firearms. They started by claiming that certain guns were simply too dangerous to be in the hands of the general public. When that failed, they tried to limit the availability of ammunition. Some places imposed heavy taxes in the form of “licensing fees” to deter firearms ownership. In spite of their efforts the gun industry continued to thrive. As long as the manufactures made money, they could afford high priced attorneys to keep the cards stacked in their favor.
Then a strange thing happened. Twenty first century man with all his high-tech gadgets became interested in old world steel. He wanted to know everything about it. The carbon content, how to anneal it, methods for hardening, and so forth. Suddenly the men who had been hobby blacksmiths became rock stars. They had their own television shows. Contests were held to see who was using the most authentic methods from five hundred years ago.The knives and swords they made were put to the test hacking down trees or chopping away at engine blocks. It was all quite ridiculous.
It was also continued to grow in popularity. It became stylish to own a sword or knife from a particular maker. These were displayed prominently on walls, on hand polished stands, or in glass cases. As with anything, the more stylish it became, the more out of hand things became. Soon, men wanted to show off their prized blades and began to wear huge knives strapped to their legs or ornate swords across their backs.
Some people complained, of course, but for nearly fifty years all the new laws had been aimed (pardon the expression) at guns. Nobody had thought to regulate fourteen-inch knives or four-foot-long swords. Now with these lovely blades being popular amongst both the wealthy and the middle-class voters, politicians were reluctant to do anything that might ruin their chances for re-election.
Eventually, as is man’s nature, his curiosity went a step further. Now he wanted to know how to use the expensive steel. Just as martial arts had spread across the world in the 1970s, sword play instruction became as lucrative as sword production. Sword schools popped up in every shopping center and strip mall. Men dressed as samurai, knights, or swashbucklers three nights a week to learn the art of wielding deadly steel. They even held tournaments using a points-based scoring method that eventually gave way to “first blood” matches, many of which were heavily publicized and televised.
And with all this going on firearms were nearly forgotten. Sales dropped severely. Manufactures went bankrupt and closed their doors with the exception of a couple who had been paying close attention to the new trends. They switched to blade production just in time to cash in on the new market trend.
Without the overpriced lawyers to protect what little was left of the firearms industry, guns soon became illegal. In the end, it was not a matter of legality, or constitutional rights, it was simply a matter of fashion.
Jerome is an avid outdoorsman who moonlights as an attorney when he’s not creating the world’s greatest online content.