I had a number of upbeat topics I wanted to cover this week. But the violent events of the weekend here in the US left me, again, numbed by the horror of mass shootings. Not one, but two, in the span of 13 hours in two different regions of the nation. And another the week before.
It could happen anywhere. And it does. Again and again. With increasing frequency.
Twenty-one dead in El Paso. Nine dead in Dayton. Dozens wounded — in seconds. Children orphaned. It’s all so numbing, but we cannot allow ourselves to be numb. We cannot accept this as “normal.” We cannot let up on the politicians who fold when it’s time to act on reasonable legislation that the majority of the country wants.
I looked back through my posts over the past 10 years, and there are too many that express the heartbreak — and anger — associated with this sort of unspeakable event, and the inaction and apathy that ultimately follow with regard to gun violence.
There are so many potential gun safety laws that do not impact the Second Amendment and those who believe in their right to bear arms, but represent common sense provisions to improve our odds of going to a movie theater, or a mall, or a place of worship — or sending our children to school — and knowing that there is no danger from an assault weapon.
To those who say it isn’t about the guns, instead blaming these despicable shootings on video games and mental health without mention of the guns, I will point you to this 2017 New York Times article that compares the US to other countries and puts that rationale in context.
I grieve for El Paso and Dayton, and Gilroy only days before. I grieve for the families. I grieve for the friends. I grieve for all the lives that have been pointlessly stolen by this shamefully and peculiarly American violence — Pittsburgh, Parkland, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Sandy Hook, and too many others to name. I grieve for all of us who currently live in fear of weapons in the hands of those who have been inflamed by hate.
Are there deeply rooted issues in our culture that produce mental health problems that we need to better address? Certainly. Do I like the violence in video games? Absolutely not. But we need to recognize that these mass shootings could not exist without the easy access to weapons of war.
We must remember that hate is learned. And we must stop the hate-infused rhetoric, the “otherizing,” and the use of these destructive “tools” for political gain.
I think of the beautiful, diverse environment in which my children grew up. I think of the way that kids get along, loving each other without regard to race or religion or ethnic background. I wish for all of us that sort of innocence – that sort of humanity – which the adults could deliver if we had the courage to model it, and most urgently, to set aside partisan politics and work together to do better. Much, much better. For our children and our grandchildren and each other.
See this list of mass shootings in the US. The number is stunning. And note, the death toll in El Paso — as of midday — is rising.
That number is stunning. DA. And numbing. And it’s ridiculous that there is no real political will to do much about it.
Yes, and yes, and yes. The heartbreak — the people of this country overwhelmingly want gun safety legislation (an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, closing gun show loopholes, a ban on high capacity magazines, “red flag” laws). Indeed, the issue is political will. Perhaps more precisely, political courage.
It is absolutely heartbreaking to see these shootings day in and day out all over the world and then to turn on the tv and watch our politicians DO NOTHING. I am sick and tired of turning on the news every day for the last 2 plus years and watching both sides of the aisle argue about the same few topics. Without going political here the bottom line is we need action. There are definitely things that can be done to close loopholes in the gun industry, but a person that is set on doing something this heinous will find another way to do it so, we also need to address mental health, which is an untreated illness for many people. We need to call attention to “crazy behavior, manifesto, and writings” on social media and alert the authorities about these things. I could go on but for now I will say that each and every one of us has to start in our own community and do what we can do to help make a change.
So well stated, Elizabeth. Too many of us share your sense of frustration and understand the complexity of this issue, and the need for multifaceted solutions — that include doing something about gun loopholes and these weapons of war. And yes, action. Finally, some serious and non-perfunctory action.
No words…. xoxox, B
I know some gun lovers and they do have weapons of war, because that’s what they’re waiting for. They aren’t in militias but they are sympathetic. They watch the news (you can guess which channel) and think everything is corrupt and it will be up to them–“upstanding citizens”–to defend their families not from criminals but from the government or “invaders,” like some kind of Bruce Willis movie. One even told me in mid-2016 that if Hillary won, there would be war and the side with the guns would prevail. Common-sense controls will never pass when that kind of thinking is, sadly, becoming normal in growing segments of the population.
Your rate for mass shootings (4 or more people injured/dead) exceeds one per day in 2019, in previous years you’ve been able to keep it under 365 shootings per year but just, see https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting an excellent non-partisan website that records gun violence from news articles.
My guess is that it will get much worse, lack of health care (including mental health), lack of meaningful/sufficient work, ineffectual government (lobbyists), conspiracy theorists that think shootings like Sandy Hook were faked, and lots of serious weaponry isn’t a good trajectory. Schools, churches, and shopping centres will end up with armed guards and once that seems normal, who knows what else the USA will accept as normal? Some countries are now warning about travel to the US and companies that manage restaurants/stores are recording mass shootings as “risk” factors in their SEC filings to investors, wow.
The only sliver of hope is to elect new people that will be self-aware enough to fix the political system as well as moving towards a more just society. Stay safe everybody.
All cogent points, batticus — and tragic.