Guns and US – 1
Something is clearly wrong in this country. Too many people are dying from gunshot wounds.
In this and four brief essays to follow, I will explore some facets of the issue and ponder possible solutions. I do not pretend to know many answers. I also do not imagine that this exercise will win me many friends. It may, in fact, alienate more readers than it pleases. Such is the emotional power of this issue.
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“Mass” shootings aside, here are some reports of shootings in recent months.
In Kansas City, Missouri, a 16-year-old black youth knocks on the wrong door and is shot through the door by the white homeowner. He is shot twice, the second time after he has fallen.
In Elgin, Texas, near Austin, two cheerleaders are shot after one of them mistakenly gets into the wrong car at their carpooling site.
In Tampa, Florida, a man shoots and wounds a 6-year-old girl and her parents after several children try to retrieve a basketball that rolled into his yard.
In Upstate New York, a 20-year-old woman is shot dead after she and her friends accidentally pull into the wrong driveway while looking for a friend’s house. They never even got out of their car.
A Florida couple delivering groceries for Instacart is shot at when they go to the wrong address.
In Annapolis, Maryland, a dispute over street parking turns deadly when a man shoots six people at a graduation party, killing three of them.
In Cleveland, Texas, a man kills five neighbors, including a child, when one of them asks him to stop shooting his AR-15-style rifle in his front yard.
In Detroit, a man shoots three other customers in a gas station after the clerk won’t let him leave unless he pays for an item that’s worth less than $4. One of the shooting victims dies.
In Ocala, Florida, a black woman is shot dead by a white neighbor, ending a long feud over playing children.
Several of these incidents appear to have happened after simple mistakes that anyone could make. But they turned deadly because of guns. For the shooters, guns provided an easy and instant solution to their perceived problem.
This is a national crisis. Why is this so?
According to some people, we can’t even talk about it. Although they chatter incessantly about mental health, Republicans in Congress routinely block any efforts to study gun violence as a mental health issue.
The Kansas State Rifle Association recently threatened several cities for even trying to talk about it. The group alleges that by talking about it, the cities are promoting gun confiscation.
People who tell such lies are one of the reasons gun violence has become a national crisis. Remember when Barack Obama was president? For eight years, gun advocates kept up the drumbeat: Obama is going to confiscate your guns! Did he ever do it? No – never even suggested it. It was a blatant lie from the start.
Why do people believe such lies? Why do people continue to believe such liars?
One of the reasons gun violence continues is that some people are committed to lies and to liars.
Next: Fear sells guns.
