War Weapons as Sport

I can't clear the accidental killing of the firing instructor by a 9 year old girl in Arizona from my mind. Few people seem to question the thrill seeking mentality that firing lethal weapons meant for war exhilarates the senses. Jews say a blessing when we are forced to take a life in order to eat. It implants a reminder of the sacrality of all of life, even when we have to kill animals to eat them. We don't eat the blood of an animal for the same reason. Often people will ask forgiveness of the animal.

Much of Jewish law can be seen as designed intentionally to engender a moral sensitivity. Encouraging children to take up arms of mass destruction as entertainment instills just the opposite: it subtly cheapens life. People were appalled at the death of the instructor. But they focus was on the safety precautions that should have been taken, not the cheapening of life instilled by glorifying agents of death. The only purpose of an Uzi is to kill someone, always a tragedy regardless of surrounding circumstances. The death of the instructor and the damage to the little girl are tragedies. But the greatest tragedy hangs in the air: the underlying America romance and dance with violence.