if pianos were guns

I enjoy playing piano. It’s fun, it’s relaxing, and most importantly it’s therapeutic. Now let’s pretend for a minute that we’re in an alternate universe…bear with me here. In this universe playing piano has the capacity to kill people, sometimes scores of people at a time. This doesn’t happen every time some one sits behind a piano. If the instrument is handled improperly, it may accidentally kill someone. In particular, if the instrument is handled by a musician with nefarious intentions, it can do catastrophic damage. 

Now being a responsible pianist in this scenario, I would first recognize that my hobby has the potential to cause serious harm to society. This holds true even if I knew I would take great care with my piano. If the government were to impose regulations and restrictions on the sales and possession of pianos, I would have the maturity and judgement to understand its rationale. This holds true even if I knew I would never utilize my hobby for wrong.

I don’t own a gun nor do I seek one. I don’t particularly understand their attraction. I do however, like everyone else, enjoy my own personal hobbies, so I can understand the hesitation one might feel if the state were to restrict an act I solely view as a pastime. But there is no escaping the fact that guns have the capacity to kill people. No one wants to take your guns aways, but smart regulations are a rational measure to attempt to make our society safer. In an alternate universe, I wouldn’t want my pianos taken away. But I would take on the new responsibilities of being a pianist if that’s what it took to live in a safe society. Fortunately, I’m not faced with such a dilemma. Not in this universe.