Fear and irrationality were the themes on my mind, going into this cartoon. That got me thinking about “security blankets,” of which the one belonging to Linus in Peanuts is surely the most well-known example…
To LaPierre and the N.R.A., literal violence is less of a problem than fictional descriptions of violence; and devices whose only purpose is to kill, maim, and destroy are less of a problem than depictions of their use, especially made-up ones, with those that critically analyze their consequences, I assume, being the worst.
I had been planning a new “fiscal cliff” cartoon just prior to the tragic events on Friday morning in Newtown, Connecticut. Suffice it to say, I felt I should shelve what I was working on and try to come up with something more serious and tasteful for today’s update, instead.
This cartoon was inspired by the recent gun rights ruling by the Supreme Court in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, although my approach ended up being more of a topically-broad design than commentary addressing the specific case…
