The surge in gun violence comes as firearm purchases rose to record levels in 2020 and 2021, with more than 43 million guns estimated to have been purchased during that period, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal data on gun background checks. At the same time, the rate of gun deaths in those years hit the highest level since 1995, with more than 45,000 fatalities each year. (Washington Post)
I must ask the question, WHY! In my mind, of course, I have answered the question, but apparently, the perspective of someone who has always had a disdain for violence, and in particular violence by guns, seems an easy answer. But to paraphrase the quote, Jane : But you *are*, Blanche! You *are* in that chair! (Whatever Happened To Baby Jane), the reality of it all is that GUNS ARE MADE TO DESTROY AND KILL INANIMATE AND ANIMATE THINGS! And you do, America, you do kill.
For me, some of the most pathetic cultural afflictions offered by America, seem to provide nothing but SELFISH/GREED/POWER/BIGOTRY and SELF-SERVING. I am not certain how a nation whose economics which rely on a manmade version of Supply and Demand creating a Caste system of Thou Shall either Have or Have Not can ever truly empower the average citizen to become more, when in fact those with more want to offer less. I am not certain how it happens that when Hypocrisy is the most popular Theory for decision making, any sense of sensibility of a conclusion can be manifested when conclusions seemed manipulated in the first place. And now it seems that the future of this nation, is relying HEAVILY on evil spirits from the past, once thought dead and done, to predict our future.
Violence has become popular, popularized by those who believe that the Sword is Mightier than the Pen. Those who think in defining the OTHER, make it easier not to have to define THEMSELVES! The will to engage via communication is somehow too abstract and the dominant force from which to dialogue is to incite fear, and eventually murder! I am not entirely certain how we stop GUN VIOLENCE AND VIOLENCE BY GUNS until we first begin to learn how to face our own weaknesses.
