How long would the utopia of a gun-free USA last?

Let’s all entertain a fanciful thought, of a day when, by whatever governmental means you care or dare to imagine, 300-million firearms vanish from the possession of the U.S. citizenry, both the lawful and lawless.  POOF, they are gone, destroyed, along with every round of ammunition and their components.  Let us augment this miraculous event to include a worldwide ban on the private ownership of guns.  All you now have to fear are the thugs who are bigger and stronger than you are, and those armed with clubs, knives, caustics / acids, flammables, IEDs, etc. However, at least you no longer have to “fear” guns. How long do you believe the “New Polite Society” would last in the U.S.A.?

Considering that the U.S. Government’s War on Drugs has been a miserable failure, my guess is that the worldwide drug cartels, which collectively never gave a damn about international laws or treaties, would expand their horizons into gunrunning.  The gangs of Chicago, New York City, L.A., and Detroit would be back to full armament in short order, busily killing the hell out of each other and anyone in their way.  Other criminals will be paying top dollar to buy “syndicate guns” for use in robbing the general population.  Our politicians will be scrambling to come up with excuses and answers for their impotence.  For instance, the government may ban private airports and ownership of private planes and jets because “drug dealers and gun runners use them.”  “It’s only common sense.  Do it for the children.”  Besides, you don’t NEED your own private plane.

Aside from international gun running, I will speculate that an underground domestic gun manufacturing industry would emerge.  It isn’t that difficult to machine the components for guns and ammunition.  Politicians would then pass further useless laws to try to hinder this development, especially since many honest citizens may then be seeking to re-arm themselves with homegrown guns and ammo.  On and on the story would unfold. 

Your gun-free U.S.A. utopia would not last long.  The vast majority of those 300-million guns that “vanished” when we began this fantasy belonged to law abiding citizens, who are now at the total mercy of criminals who never knew a law that wasn’t worth breaking, and a government that never could protect honest citizens in the first place.

You may want to be careful what you ask your lawmakers to do in the passion of a moment.  They may just do it, and you just might not like how it all turns out.