Charismatic Machines

Why isn’t this the golden age of assassinations?

Jun 16, 2023

Guns are displayed at the annual Machine Gun Shoot sponsored by Shooters Gauntlet on June 3, 2023, in Monroe, Pennsylvania. The shoot, which has been held since 2016, lets members of the public and others shoot machine guns at targets in a controlled and secure wooded location. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

One of the generally unspoken assumptions of the gun control movement is that changes in firearms technology drive changes in gun-wielding behavior—that, at least in some part, we have the kind of gun-related violence we have today because of the kinds of firearms we have available.

That isn’t really supported by the facts, which is why we are not living in a golden age of long-range assassinations.

More about that in due course.

We fixate on certain kinds of firearms for the same reason we fixate on certain kinds of automobiles or airplanes or other pieces of gear: because they are charismatic machines.

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About Kevin D. Williamson

Kevin D. Williamson is national correspondent at The Dispatch and is based in Dallas. Prior to joining the company in 2022, he spent 15 years as a writer and editor at National Review, worked as the theater critic at the New Criterion, and had a long career in local newspapers. When Kevin is not reporting on the world outside Washington for his Wanderland newsletter, you can find him at the rifle range or reading a book about literally almost anything other than politics.