Yes, I know there are multiple interpretations of Lennon’s lyrics, but my topic is the most literal one; guns or no guns?

I grew up where there were no guns. Period. People did not own guns, police did not carry guns. Guns were something migrant Americans were shooting at native Americans in movies with music by Ennio Morricone. I have never seen guns except in museums and I find them foreign and scary.

Here are some numbers from 2007 to illustrate the difference between my native and adoptive country:

In Denmark there were about 12 civilian firearms per 100 people, in the US the number was 89.

In Denmark there were 15 homicides by firearm which were 32% of all homicides that year. In the US there were 9146 homicides by firearm which were 60% of all homicides.

Another way of looking at it is that per 100,000 people in Denmark there are 0.3 homicides per year that are caused by firearms. In the US that number is 10 times higher.

Needless to say, in my opinion the answer is no guns. But of course my opinion does not matter, and things get a bit more blurry as I have kids and, to be gender prejudiced, a son.

My 10-year old son loves guns, he has nerf guns a la carte, he plays laser tag and video games full of guns, and when electronics time runs out, he will convert old cardboard boxes into guns and rifles with markers and paints.

This passion of his makes me cringe. I fought it for the longest time. I forbade toy guns in the house. I gave him all the speeches on peace on earth, how guns breeds violence and that we (=Danes) don’t do guns. I even said that since I am so uncomfortable with it, he should be considerate and not play with guns.

It is of course grossly unfair to put that kind of responsibility on a little boy.

My husband is alternating between Frozen (‘Let It Go!’) and Grandpa (‘Boys will be boys’) and sloth (‘Why do you even waste energy on this?!’) so no overwhelming support for my pacifist mission from that side.

This is a major moral dilemma; abstinence or prevention? If it had been sex it would have been so much easier. Everyone knows that teaching abstinence only really does not work, quite contrary in fact. Sex happens no matter if the kiddos know how to protect themselves or not. That is universal.

While the fascination with guns might be universal, too, it really only translates into gun violence IF GUNS ARE READILY AVAILABLE. They seem to be. However much I dislike that there is nothing I can do about it, but get the hell out of Dodge which I am not about to do.

Short of long is that the rationalist voice in my head is saying to be like Sting (‘if you love somebody, set them free’) while the very much more emotional mommy voice is saying ‘Gotta keep all shooting, sharp and blunt objects away from my babies. Gotta roll my babies in bubble wrap that won’t even pop anymore!’

In Danish there is a saying; Trust is better than control. I guess I will just have to trust that my darling boy will grow into a sensible young man whose hormones kick in early and strong enough to drown out the sirens’ song of the firearms, which by the way is one of the many interpretations of John Lennon’s immortal words.