Gun Violence in America

[mpare]

This morning's essay by historian, Heather Cox Richardson, is well worth reading. Her first sentence and the the last paragraph will give you a good idea of the historical focus of the article.

"America today is caught in a plague of gun violence.
...
We are in a bizarre moment, as Republican lawmakers defend largely unlimited gun ownership even as recent polls show that 84% of voters, including 77% of Republicans, support background checks. The link between guns, cowboys, race, and government in America during Reconstruction, and again after the Brown v. Board decision, helps to explain why."

April 19, 2021 - Letters from an American (substack.com)

[Bellyhungry]

America has passed the tipping point, I think. No going back now.

[mpare]

Unfortunately, you're probably right. The myopia that clouds their ability to see the obvious when it comes to this national tragedy is not likely to disappear anytime soon.

America has passed the tipping point, I think. No going back now.

[Marty Canuck]

America has passed the tipping point, I think. No going back now.

Sadly that ship sailed a long time ago. I think the cure may turn out uglier than we can imagine.

[mpare]

I doubt that a "cure" is possible, given the curious manner in which the public, in large measure facilitated by the SCOTUS, has linked gun ownership, individualism, a version of American history, and constitutionally protected freedoms.

Sadly that ship sailed a long time ago. I think the cure may turn out uglier than we can imagine.

[Weirfan]

while there may be some minor legislative adjustments with background checks etc,
things will not change and many, maybe most there don't want it to.

It seems We care more about US gun violence than Americans. There is an obsession here with pointing out all the shootings , whereas down there , they aren't even discussed on the forums.

Theirs is a different culture with a different history , different set of laws and different mindset towards guns. Sometimes I wonder why we care so much about how they choose to live other than being the nosey, gossipy neighbour

[Marty Canuck]

I doubt that a "cure" is possible, given the curious manner in which the public, in large measure facilitated by the SCOTUS, has linked gun ownership, individualism, a version of American history, and consitutionally protected freedoms.

Oh it will cure itself eventually but like I said it could be very, very ugly.

[Jeffc]

while there may be some minor legislative adjustments with background checks etc,
things will not change and many, maybe most there don't want it to.

It seems We care more about US gun violence than Americans. There is an obsession here with pointing out all the shootings , whereas down there , they aren't even discussed on the forums.

Theirs is a different culture with a different history , different set of laws and different mindset towards guns. Sometimes I wonder why we care so much about how they choose to live other than being the nosey, gossipy neighbour

84% of Americans support background checks. It would appear they care a lot. It's the politicians that don't seem to care.

[Benz]

while there may be some minor legislative adjustments with background checks etc,
things will not change and many, maybe most there don't want it to.

We care more about US gun violence and laws than Americans. There is an obsession here with pointing out all the shootings , whereas down there , they aren't even discussed on the forums.

Theirs is a different culture with a different history , different set of laws and different mindset towards guns. Sometimes I wonder why we care so much about how they choose to live other than being the nosey, gossipy neighbour

IMO, we talk about it so much because we are very concerned that the same thing could happen here.

So much American culture has permeated our own that sometimes it's difficult to differentiate them. For example, why do Canadian businesses have annual "Black Friday" sales? Although this is just a minor example, it demonstrates that Canadians are quick to adopt American habits and customs, good and bad. Similarly, some Canadians may believe (or come to believe) that gun ownership is a God-given right that should be enshrined in our own Charter, and without it we are just a nation of people living at the mercy of the government.

[hackerhare]

A lot of Americans love guns. They love the sense of empowerment that comes from shooting them or parading with them. They can come up with reasoning of self defence, defence against tyranny, etc but its just BS. They love their guns and just like trying to take a child's favorite toy from them, its difficult to do. For me, I have shot automatic weapons before (M16). It does have an intoxicating attraction. So in the article, it talks about the history of gun ownership, as it relates to race and political ideology. But all of that is just cover for their love of guns.

[4underthru9]

Oh it will cure itself eventually but like I said it could be very, very ugly.

Seems like "mpare" may have misunderstood your version of very ugly cure,
suggesting nobody left to shoot at.
Although miniscule in comparison, Canada needs to address the situation right here while we can.

[Weirfan]

IMO, we talk about it so much because we are very concerned that the same thing could happen here.

So much American culture has permeated our own that sometimes it's difficult to differentiate them. For example, why do Canadian businesses have annual "Black Friday" sales? Although this is just a minor example, it demonstrates that Canadians are quick to adopt American habits and customs, good and bad. Similarly, some Canadians may believe (or come to believe) that gun ownership is a God-given right that should be enshrined in our own Charter, and without it we are just a nation of people living at the mercy of the government.

While we may see some gun violence here, and wont be removed from experiencing mass events , it will never come close to what is taking place in the US or other countries.

FYI, US isn't even the worst for firearm deaths, Brazil is and they arent even in the top 10 for firearm deaths per capita.

Canada is wayyyy down the list.

[luv2kruz]

Canada is wayyyy down the list.

Thank God. We need to keep it that way.

[pudubny]

A lot of Americans love guns. They love the sense of empowerment that comes from shooting them or parading with them. They can come up with reasoning of self defence, defence against tyranny, etc but its just BS. They love their guns and just like trying to take a child's favorite toy from them, its difficult to do. For me, I have shot automatic weapons before (M16). It does have an intoxicating attraction. So in the article, it talks about the history of gun ownership, as it relates to race and political ideology. But all of that is just cover for their love of guns.

I love guns. Grew up in a household with many weapons. But it was sport. My father collected guns and hunted, we learned to enjoy using them in very restricted environments. But we never thought of them as neccessary against tyranny or self defence. It just wasn't our mindset. When we lived in the states for years my father thought the obsession with these ideas was already well beyond reason. That was decades ago, it hasn't improved.

[mpare]

I think our interest in gun violence in America is a lot more than that of a "nosey, gossiply neighbour." For my part, I have family and many friends who call the USA home, so I care what happens to them and their country. More than that, the study of gun violence in America is an interesting topic which links, among other things, history, politics, psychology, American individualism, constitutional history, law and the tension between collective and individual rights. It's possible to be concerned about the issue as an objective study, while being empathetic to its victims. At the same time, we have had shocking cases of similar violence in Canada. Fortunately, they are not as common, though the almost daily shootings in the GTA are sorely testing that premise.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was born in the USA. As a teen (14 to 18), I owned a Mossberg 22LR, semi-automatic, for which I recall being able to buy boxes of ammo without difficulty. That said, I always had a healthy respect for the weapon and the damage that it could cause. I left the rifle in the US when I permanently emigrated to Canada.

...

It seems We care more about US gun violence than Americans. There is an obsession here with pointing out all the shootings , whereas down there , they aren't even discussed on the forums.

Theirs is a different culture with a different history , different set of laws and different mindset towards guns. Sometimes I wonder why we care so much about how they choose to live other than being the nosey, gossipy neighbour