"After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military"

William S. Burroughs’ statement challenges the instinctive legislative reaction to tragic events involving gun violence. He points out a recurring pattern: following a mass shooting, lawmakers and the public often advocate for tighter gun regulations. However, he highlights the irony that such actions tend to focus on restricting the rights of responsible gun owners, rather than concentrating solely on those who have perpetrated the violence. The sentiment expressed is one of frustration with policies that, in his view, punish the innocent for the crimes of the guilty.

Burroughs’s words reflect a deeper philosophical concern about the balance of power within society. He posits a scenario where only agents of the state, the police and military, retain the ability to own and use firearms, while ordinary citizens are disarmed. Implicit in his statement is a distrust of authority and a belief in individual autonomy and self-defense. Historically, regimes in which only official entities have access to arms have sometimes led to abuses of power, oppression, or the suppression of dissent. Burroughs invokes this notion, suggesting that a society where the general populace is entirely disarmed could become vulnerable to authoritarianism or tyranny.

The quote also conveys a libertarian impulse, wherein rights and freedoms are prized over collective security measures that may infringe upon personal liberties. Burroughs is wary of trading liberty for safety, especially if the measures taken do not address the root causes of violence and instead erode fundamental rights. His statement does not directly deny the problems of gun violence but questions whether restricting lawful citizens’ gun ownership is a just or effective solution. Ultimately, Burroughs voices skepticism toward reactionary laws that may give a false sense of security while diminishing the rights of law-abiding people, especially when the real perpetrators are not representative of the larger firearm-owning population.