by Ralph La Rosa
Guns Don’t Kill People, People Kill People. —NRA Bumper Sticker
To kids, the guns in TV’s shows
with cowboys killing Indians
say Play guns beat the red man’s bows.
First real shots from cool Red Ryders,
let children’s tiny BBs
kill small birds and sting bike riders.
Real guns, 12 gauge and 22,
teach white militias skills,
help killers know what they can do.
Guns urge cops on urban beats
to kill with high-tech specials
that threaten US states and streets.
Like wild-west six-guns of renown,
some guns make reasoned kills,
but impulse kills both black and brown.
Ralph La Rosa owned several of the guns mentioned until he became a teacher and writer.