Yesterday 26 people were shot dead as they prayed at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Just 33 days back 50+ people were killed in the Las Vegas shooting. Its unbelievable that nothing seems to pressurize the US policy makers to bring Gun Control. I just read an article that says if a local resident didn’t confront the shooter with a gun of his own … more people would have died. Yeah, but if the shooter wasn’t allowed to own a gun, then there wouldn’t have been a shooting at all *?$##. Why is that so difficult to understand ??
How many more deaths will it take for Gun Control to become a reality – civilians need not carry guns, the US of A is a developed country and civilized, last I knew. I am copying my blog from Oct 2nd, hoping I don’t have to copy it anymore. RIP all those who lost their lives yesterday :(:(.
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50+ dead… for no rhyme or reason
At first the news said 2 people dead in the Las Vegas shooting…. till I saw the news just now. 50+ people died without any reason, just because no politician wants to bring gun control. I am far away in India, but the news has made me really sad. What will the loved ones of those who were killed be feeling ? It’s tragic. And it was completely avoidable, This is not a terrorist attack. It’s somebody who just bought a gun legally because he could and shot people dead. I don’t feel like writing about this.
I have just three statistics –
God is scared to bless America… he might be shot dead.
Well 50+ people have died in many people’s lives …. will you bring gun control ?
RIP all the 50+ people who died today. Hope you didn’t die in vain. :(:(
Crazily enough, it isn’t just the politicians, many people also have really strange ideas At this moment I’m working at a site in the US south and was overhearing folks having a conversation. They didn’t seem terribly upset (it seems that people here are getting really desensitized. 26 killed by guns is as of little concern as a bus crash killing 26) except for one thing. They thought it was crazy that both the concert and the church were “gun free zones” so of course there were many killed – there were no “good guys with guns” to fight back. (Never mind that at a Wal Mart in Denver where 3 people were killed, it took hours to figure out who the suspect was because as soon as the shooter fired, many other people took out their own guns. Gone are the days when you could simply say “The shooter is the only guy with the gun.”)
I feel like there is also more at play here. Yes, stronge rgun laws would help a huge amount but it’s not the whole problem. Guns are available in Canada as well, though they are a bit harder to get and can’t just be carried loaded wherever you want to take them) but our gun deaths and shootings are significantly lower. The anti-gun-law people always point to mental health issues – and clearly there is one – and possibly even a cultural one at this point. But I see little being done on that front as well.
Culturally I feel like much of the issue lies in the story we tell ourselves about what we do when pushed too far. For me, outside of a physical threat, I don’t think I could be made angry enough to hit someone. But here there is an attitude that you can be angry enough or scared enough to not only hit someone but shoot someone. There are also stories that we tell ourselves, as a culture, about what we do when we’re stressed to the limit. There has long been a narrative – even since I was a kid in the 70’s – that if you push a man (almost always a man – that brings toxic masculinity in to it, doesn’t it?) far enough then he might just start shooting. When I was younger the phrase was “Going postal” after a few cases in the 80’s of postal workers shooting people at work.
All if this is one of the many reasons that, even though I’m an American citizen, I don’t like visiting the US anymore. There’s always an awareness that being shot is an option. Don’t upset a driver, he might shoot you, be sure to note where emergency exits are when you go to the movies in case there’s a shooter, be aware when you go shopping, there might be a shooter. And now, you can’t even go to church to pray for peace without having to also pray that your higher power is looking out for you while you do it.
And don’t get me started on the disproportionate response of the media to a killing by a white American versus a Muslim. It was really evident last week when the attacks in NYC happened. They really whipped up the xenophobic frenzy in the media. (Well, Fox News anyway, which they’re known for. Sadly that’s what they have on in the hotel breakfast room every morning)
Bindu,
I’m not a fan of government controls, especially when our government is setting such a potent example of gun violence around the world with its interminable wars. It’s no surprise to me gun violence in the US is off the charts. Look at the example our leaders are setting.
Who protects you from your protectors? As long as the police and military have guns and are so quick to use them, I won’t support gun control legislation.
Katharine, what if the police shifts to only using tasers and rubber pellets ? I agree with you that the US govt must stop military interventions but some control has to be brought in where private people begin owning guns – what about only small arms that can maim and deter in self-defence rather than these machine guns ? Mental health record of the buyer? Something that makes only the sane folk get a gun and that too with some difficulty. My worry is, when it’s off the shelf, and children grow up around them … it’s taken for granted. That’s my view. I am horrified that someone just shot 26 unknown people dead, just like that… that bothers me.
Bindu,
I guess I fear the government more than I fear guns. As long as our government sets a militaristic, violent example, I don’t trust it to control anyone else. Also, it seems that controls only worsen problems. The Mafia was born during Prohibition. I believe drug laws are exacerbating drug problems. The media focus on guns is increasing gun sales. Certainly the addiction to violent entertainment, like cop and crime shows, glamorize violence.
And with so many countries actively engaged in military and nuclear buildup, I’m not sure gun control would solve any problems.
For me, it’s a false dichotomy. It really isn’t about “guns or not” it’s about sensible rules (who needs silencers and bump stocks, for example), proper background checks and controls to ensure the safety of people. At this point, the only acceptable way for someone to get the illusion of safety is to buy guns for themselves. Which, I suppose is how the gun lobby likes it. Looking at some of those other countries on the list, they aren’t countries that ban guns, they’re countries that have banned some types of guns and enacted sensible controls on where and how they’re carried. I know very few people who would advocate for complete disarmament of the populace.
I find a common thought in Katharine and your comments – the need for civilians to own guns. Why is the need felt ? I cannot understand that. India is a lot more unsafe but the thought of owning a gun doesn’t occur to most people. Many of the uneducated unemployed youth procure guns illegally and once caught they do go behind bars. The average citizen doesn’t feel the need for a gun, why is it different in the US ?
I agree, Bindu. Not necessary. At the moment, it’s a constitutional right there. And then there’s the other complication of the fact that there are already millions of guns in people’s hands. There’s such a gun culture there that were you to say “We’re coming for your guns.” there would quite possibly be an armed rebellion – no exaggeration. The idea behind the right to bear arms was to be able to overthrow a despotic government which is where Katherine’s comment also fits in.
So no, I don’t see a need, from starting with no guns out there already but it’s so very tricky politically and socially. I suspect you’d have a hard time even doing what Australia did and banning assault weapons.
There’s also a culture of feeling like you need them for protection. Here where I am on business I watched four men berate the one man besides me in the room who didn’t own a gun. “What? Don’t you care about your family? What if someone breaks in!?
It’s a strange place. There are many reasons why I emigrated from there. This is among them and it’s a great part of why I only travel here when my company requires it.
Thanks for the explanation. Guess the cultural nuances are at play like you mentioned in your first comment. Sad – but a reality and to each person, his/her point of view is the truth.
Bindu,
The Americas were settled by Europeans who brought their guns and attitudes to bear on a pristine wilderness inhabited by natives who didn’t understand the concept of property rights. Guns were part of the invading culture from the get-go, a part of the national psyche. The countries on your list are older and more mature, and have been on the receiving end of violence more than the US, whose worst violence was against itself.
I don’t have a gun or like them, myself, and don’t really see the point of them. But I figure anyone who wants to murder dozens of people in cold blood will find a way, and no law will stop them.
Katharine you are so right – anyone who wants to murder people in cold blood will find a way :(:(…. 9/11 didn’t happen with machine guns.
I wish I had answers but still can’t understand what would motivate individuals and groups of people to be so cruel.