The pandemic as the moral equivalent of war….
For those who may not be able to mask safely because of their health concerns, of course they get a bye. But let’s be clear. There are people, too many people, who have gotten into a political frame of mind about this basic containment strategy for community public health.
As a former corpsman and combat vet (Hotel 2/3, RVN), you know the issue on the table is not your freedom, but the collective health and safety of those you serve with, squad, platoon, what have you. Whatever else might be going on, the first order of business is to make sure, as best you can, that everyone gets back alive. One of the simplest ways to contribute to that is basic firearm safety.
COVID-19 (now 20, going on 21) is a lethal weapon. As a potential and probably asymptomatic carrier, you are a lethal weapon. And since it’s spread both in droplet and airborne vectors, and since a sneeze is pretty much an autonomic response rather than a choice to “pull the trigger,” you’re a loaded weapon with the safety off, aimed at everyone and anyone in your vicinity.
This is not about freedom, any more than getting to drive recklessly or polluting the town water supply. This is about common sense community public health measures in a time of crisis. Man up and wear the mask.
Lou Colasanti
Bristol