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I Never Saw a Gun In Europe

Childhood in a society without guns is freedom.

Taru Anniina Liikanen
5 min readMay 28, 2022
Photo by Jay Rembert on Unsplash

Just to get this out of the way, I’ll be the first person to admit I’m terribly biased when it comes to the gun debate.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t like guns. Never have, never will.

I don’t like violence, in general. I couldn’t watch a boxing match. I don’t even like it when someone raises their voice. And guns, they’re the physical object that most clearly represents violence.

Sure, guns are needed for defense, but I’d prefer never having to use one. I hope to live in a peaceful country and not have to hold a gun in my hands, ever.

I understand some people like hunting. I used to go fishing with my dad when I was little. But then again, me and my sister felt sorry for the fish and often let them go. I never liked taking a life. I hope I’ll never be in a situation where I have to do it.

To me, a gun was designed to wound and kill at a distance that’s larger than that a sword or knife would offer. To offer you protection, so you can go on killing. It seems unfair and unnecessary.

Apart from a couple of times when I saw police officers in Finland, I had never seen a gun, let alone a person bearing one, until I moved to Costa Rica at the age of 22.

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Taru Anniina Liikanen
Taru Anniina Liikanen

Written by Taru Anniina Liikanen

Stand-up comedian and recovering political ghostwriter. Finnish by birth, porteña at heart. Bad jokes frequent.

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