An Unserious America Refuses to Address Gun Violence
An Unserious America Refuses to Address Gun Violence
Mass Shootings? Here?
A top story on the CBS News website today was that Donald Trump made a vulgar comment (a compliment of sorts) about Arnold Palmer and his manliness.
Meanwhile, a genocide continues in Gaza as gun violence in America slowly surges. According to the gun violence archive, there have already been 426 mass shooting incidents in the USA as of 10/19. Compare that to 2014, when there were *only* 272 mass shootings for the entire year. America is yet again on pace to challenge previous yearly highs for mass shootings. Maybe we can beat last year’s total of 656?
The Harris/Walz team has chosen to address gun violence by embracing guns. Kamala Harris touts her Glock and her willingness to shoot any would-be home intruders while Tim Walz poses with a semi-auto shotgun (that he had some difficulty loading) while pheasant hunting. Trump, of course, is fully in favor of gun rights and tells his followers that Harris/Walz want to take their guns away from them. Harris/Walz respond to that false charge by saying they’re proud gun owners, so take that, Trump.
If only Trump stuck to ogling Arnold Palmer in the shower.
I realize, of course, that the ready availability of guns in America, their valorization, and the celebration of them, isn't the sole cause of extreme gun violence.
But it's also true you can't have mass gun violence without massive numbers of guns, and Americans own something like 400 million of them, including over 20 million AR-15-type assault rifles.
Guns do kill people, and they need to be regulated (as they already are) and treated with the utmost respect.
Guns, love them or loathe them, make mass killing easier, especially the AR-15-type weapons, which are not suitable for either hunting or self-defense, unless you fancy yourself a SEAL Team member or a gangster.
Solutions to mass gun violence must include tighter restrictions on gun ownership, consistent with the second amendment. Gun ownership should be restricted to mature adults who take responsibility for knowing how to operate them and keep them secured. Too many gun owners are irresponsible and negligent, occasionally tragically so as children find loaded guns and shoot siblings, other kids, or themselves.
We must stop valorizing guns and gun violence. (Just look at all the Cable TV shows and Hollywood action flicks that treat guns as so many "sexy" toys, with bullets being sprayed anywhere and everywhere.) In short, we need to grow up.
Government weapons kill more people than private weapons do. Which is the greater threat to the individual?
There is also the political dimension: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
Is the state the only actor entitled to hold the power of deadly force?