The most important effect of classic nerve gas is the blocking of excitation of muscle cells by nerve cells. The consequence is almost immediate and devastating: convulsions and death by asphyxiation as neural control is lost over respiratory muscles.
One of the major arguments used by the gun lobby against gun control is that guns are necessary for self-defense in our violent society and that therefore more guns will mean a safer existence for the average law-abiding citizen.
Truly, the most effective weapon of self-defense would be a nerve gas spray, or a gun that fired nerve gas pellets that exploded on contact. This would be a most effective self-defense because no accuracy of shooting would be needed, no target practice. Just pointing the weapon in the general direction of the target would be enough to guarantee the instant death of anyone threatening the "average law-abiding citizen" -- a marvel of an event, akin to merely pointing your finger at someone and killing them.
Of course, quite rapidly, we will have the criminal element in society, those bad people that make the "average law-abiding citizen" shiver in his quality Italian leather boots just thinking about them -- we will have the bad people using nerve gas against the good people. With finality and no witnesses, since the good people will be instantly dead. Immediately, some smart New York hedge funder will help start up and promote a nerve gas self-defense weapons manufacturer and spread around publicity money hawking the idea that the antidote to bad guys with nerve gas is more good guys with nerve gas.
If you're thinking about the possibility of investing in a gas mask business, forget it -- high quality nerve gas penetrates the skin on contact and kills almost instantly.
So this is the point: If the justification for no restrictions on gun control is that we want guns to be available for use as weapons of self-defense, don't we also need to have nerve gas available as a weapon of self-defense?
Wait a moment, you say: Nerve gas is a weapon of mass destruction. Sure. And so are guns and bullets. Have a look at the statistics of gun deaths in this country. Have a look at the thousands of mothers who have had children killed by guns.
Like nerve gas, guns are weapons of mass destruction. The reality Americans need to face is that the reason we treat nerve gas and guns differently is a matter of business and profits and not a matter of reason.
But maybe soon there will be no difference and nerve gas will come into its own as a source of business and profits. We do have a Second Amendment, don't we?
Are you getting the feeling these days that you're living in a video game? Is that what you want for yourself, your children, and your grandchildren?
Me, I'm 82 years old and checking out of this video game soon. You deal with it.