"Gun Fever," the brand new Hieroglyphics song/video that was unveiled last week at the same time that the 2013 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits was happening in Houston, Texas, tackles the current controversial topic of guns in America. From watching the new video, that the longtime Oakland hip-hop collective recorded to offer their input  on the gun debate as folks who grew up in a city known for gun violence and to reflect on the prevalent fascination with guns in American society, it got me thinking about songs about guns.

And there are a lot of songs about guns. Not all but many, not too surprisingly, are rap songs from the gangsta side of the genre that glorify gun use. Of course, like the new Hieros joint (which features some of the crew's best talents including Del, Casual, Tajai, and A-Plus), there are many other hip-hop songs that look at guns in a more analytical manner such as Paris' "One Gun" (off Acid Reflex) or Aesop Rock's "Babies With Guns" (off Bazooka Tooth) which suggests that nowadays guns are so prevalent in our society that even babies are packing.