This information about gun deaths is horrifying and yet we have seen the gun advocates hide behind the 2nd Amendment which they have deliberately chosen to misinterpret. The other horrifying statistic is 50% of the gun violence deaths are suicide. We keep yammering on and on about suicide prevention but never mention this little nugget. There is another chart I saw this week showing deaths by cause and gun deaths were by far and away the major contributor. So it is true that it is the 'criminals' who are doing all the shooting? Not unless they are shooting themselves and children. Just look up the Active Shooter incidents in the last 20 years (Pew) to know these are not gangs going after each other. Just this week in Florida , after DeSantis pushed the no restriction on carrying guns, 2 guys in a road rage went after each other and by accident shot each others kids who were in the cars. These are the people with guns!!!!
At this point, it seems pretty clear that Republicans will never agree to any type of law that reduces the availability of firearms, or the ability of people of Americans to get their hands on said firearms. In fact, the very opposite seems likely. At some point--possibly as soon as next election--the Republicans will retake the Senate and/or the Presidency, and we will see them weaken gun laws even further. Don't think that I'm right? We have Republicans in Congress actually parading around with AR-15 lapel pins. If that doesn't speak to their views on the subject, I don't know what does.
If we can elect at least 51 Democratic Senators, replacing Sinema, and retaining (sigh) Manchin, and have a Democratic House, we can yeet the filibuster and pass a whole lot of legislation that the Republicans refuse to have any hand in, including gun laws, reforming the courts, codifying, restoring, and expanding voting rights, giving Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia full statehood, codifying the right to abortion, reforming the immigration system, expanding the child credit, so on and so forth.
Democrats have to go it alone in all of these matters, like they did for restoring funding to the IRS, because Republicans simply refuse to engage on all of those matters. And that is the long and the short of the problem in our politics.
Thanks for this insightful, albeit depressing, article, Chris. Is there any way that the President could form a high level committee to identify action steps to "protect children from gun violence", analogous to what was done with airport security after 9/11 to prevent a recurrence. Rather than make it about "gun control" or "gun rights", which would fall along predictable political fault lines, make it about protecting children. This is probably naive but thought I would suggest it. Thanks again, Chris, for all you do.
What a horrible state of affairs. And have you noticed that the GOPers don't even offer thoughts and prayers anymore. I guess those killed aren't even worth that much anymore to the terrible people in Congress.
My 5 yo daughter was shaken up, when she became old enough to understand that in USA, people use guns on each other. She thought that they were tools for farmers and cool special effects in movies.
I continue to share this anecdote with USA folk to let you know
It doesnt have to be normal
It doesnt have to be inevitable
Imagine a country where your kids thought guns were for farmers or for make believe
This information about gun deaths is horrifying and yet we have seen the gun advocates hide behind the 2nd Amendment which they have deliberately chosen to misinterpret. The other horrifying statistic is 50% of the gun violence deaths are suicide. We keep yammering on and on about suicide prevention but never mention this little nugget. There is another chart I saw this week showing deaths by cause and gun deaths were by far and away the major contributor. So it is true that it is the 'criminals' who are doing all the shooting? Not unless they are shooting themselves and children. Just look up the Active Shooter incidents in the last 20 years (Pew) to know these are not gangs going after each other. Just this week in Florida , after DeSantis pushed the no restriction on carrying guns, 2 guys in a road rage went after each other and by accident shot each others kids who were in the cars. These are the people with guns!!!!
After losing a family member to suicide, I so agree
At this point, it seems pretty clear that Republicans will never agree to any type of law that reduces the availability of firearms, or the ability of people of Americans to get their hands on said firearms. In fact, the very opposite seems likely. At some point--possibly as soon as next election--the Republicans will retake the Senate and/or the Presidency, and we will see them weaken gun laws even further. Don't think that I'm right? We have Republicans in Congress actually parading around with AR-15 lapel pins. If that doesn't speak to their views on the subject, I don't know what does.
If we can elect at least 51 Democratic Senators, replacing Sinema, and retaining (sigh) Manchin, and have a Democratic House, we can yeet the filibuster and pass a whole lot of legislation that the Republicans refuse to have any hand in, including gun laws, reforming the courts, codifying, restoring, and expanding voting rights, giving Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia full statehood, codifying the right to abortion, reforming the immigration system, expanding the child credit, so on and so forth.
Democrats have to go it alone in all of these matters, like they did for restoring funding to the IRS, because Republicans simply refuse to engage on all of those matters. And that is the long and the short of the problem in our politics.
Thanks for this insightful, albeit depressing, article, Chris. Is there any way that the President could form a high level committee to identify action steps to "protect children from gun violence", analogous to what was done with airport security after 9/11 to prevent a recurrence. Rather than make it about "gun control" or "gun rights", which would fall along predictable political fault lines, make it about protecting children. This is probably naive but thought I would suggest it. Thanks again, Chris, for all you do.
What a horrible state of affairs. And have you noticed that the GOPers don't even offer thoughts and prayers anymore. I guess those killed aren't even worth that much anymore to the terrible people in Congress.
from Australia:
My 5 yo daughter was shaken up, when she became old enough to understand that in USA, people use guns on each other. She thought that they were tools for farmers and cool special effects in movies.
I continue to share this anecdote with USA folk to let you know
It doesnt have to be normal
It doesnt have to be inevitable
Imagine a country where your kids thought guns were for farmers or for make believe
They’re a cult ... worshiping the pagan gods of war, wealth, and power