This weekend marked one of America's most shameful mileposts. 400 MASS SHOOTINGS THIS YEAR! That's roughly 2 a day. And let's not forget that a mass shooting is over 4 people: not including the gunman. So how many have there been with less victims?
And people wonder why I can't live in the US anymore. I refuse to live in a country where guns have more rights than children.
I hope to never live anywhere but in the country, and AR type weapons aren't legal for anything but war and shooting ranges. We do have bear that I've seen several times but they're more hungry than evil. They frequent dumps, steal laundry from lines, run away (usually) if you yell and chase them. Deer and moose are hunted for food, cows are carefully shot when butchering, rabid animals are sometimes shot. You take firearms safety courses and you don't ever point a gun at a human because you can't be sure it's unloaded. Axes and chainsaws are also common tools here, not weapons.
We could use holodecks maybe for people who want to shoot people. Otherwise let them go play Call of Duty (computer game). I think making the fantasy of shooting people easily available may well lead to more mass murders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty That came out in 2003, how does that fit the history of mass murders?
Laws can be good but most have loopholes, in several cases recently mass murderers owned their guns legally. There's more digging and psychology to be done on motives. A factor seems to be a sense of fame in making the news as the killer of x number of people. Usually the victims are strangers but sometimes coworkers. Usually it happens in a public place. Analyzing the factors involved might be a good use for AI, what do they have in common? Computers are cheap, build tests into cellphones, especially if the owner also owns a gun. Watch the GPS too. Alert law enforcement under certain conditions.
All generalizations are bad. Guns kill people, knives kill people, cars kill people. Ergo people kill people, the method is unimportant except for a convenience factor. A momentary rage due to a lost lover, job, for some reason those give the impression that killing someone is a solution. It isn’t. Talk to someone, think it over, put it off until tomorrow. Cool down.
What happened in Kansas City is even more reason to reform the law. :(
While I know there are sports fans on this forum (Marina is one), I am so glad my husband and I are not due to what happened at the Chiefs parade and that we don't actually live in Kansas City. Besides we spent our money seeing Gates and Michelle in a less gun violent city (how long that will last is anyone's guess). I really don't understand why anyone would even want to do such a thing as shoot people at any celebration or event. It makes no sense to me. One dead, twenty-two injured (11 of them children). SMH The younger generation will spend a lifetime struggling with the aftermath of trauma. 😥
In case, for some reason, you haven't heard there was an active shooter or shooters at the Chiefs parade for winning the super bowl: https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/kcpd-responds-to-shooting-near-chiefs-champions-victory-parade-route
Just read an article from Harvard School of Public Health. A professor there made what I thought was an interesting point. Here's an excerpt from the article.
The whole article can be found here:
Just wanted to share with you that I am now officially a Sandy Hook Volunteer Promise Leader. I've always been against gun violence, but you've inspired me to take action (beyond just liking a post or singing a petition). Thank you for all you do Marina. You are such an inspiration to so many!!!
There are problems not only in the USA. School shooting in Russia. At a school in Bryansk, 14-year-old Alina opened fire on her classmates with her father's gun. He killed his classmate Maria - with whom she was in love with the same boy -, injured 5 other classmates, and then killed himself. https://www.facebook.com/NAFOHungary/videos/883981989919160
I'm a bit shaken right now, but I found out this morning, that the young lady who introduced my son to the mother of my grandchild was shot and killed by her boyfriend during an argument. Just when you think it won't hit close to home. :'( I'm so glad my husband and I don't believe in owning a gun, still this is... I have to tell my son.
This won't stop the madness. It won't stop antisemitism. I don't understand this need for a gun or gun(s). 😪 https://scrippsnews.com/stories/with-rise-of-antisemitism-more-jewish-americans-are-purchasing-guns/
"I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We're still just a child creature, we're still being nasty to each other. And all children go through those phases. We're growing up, we're moving into adolescence now. When we grow up - man, we're going to be something!"
Gene Roddenberry
I'm beginning to wonder if humans will ever grow up. I wonder if Gene would still say this today?
"If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear."
Gene Roddenberry
This I still agree with, but I wonder if society will ever achieve it. Probably not in our lifetime.
Today in KC MO (no I don't live in Kansas City), on the news, an 11 year old was in her bedroom when she was hit by two stray bullets from outside the home. Doctors don't know if she'll ever walk again. One bullet hit her shoulder and the other hit her spine. Her parents want to see justice and accountability. I don't blame them. There is no reason for this insanity. If I can find a link to the news video, I'll share it here for those interested in it. It's really bad when children aren't safe in their homes. Got the video about the little girl:
Just received this today and I'm really not surprised by it, but I thought I'd share it so everyone knows who the new speaker of the house, Mike Johnson, is now and it's bad, but then again, it probably won't surprise anyone else either:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/01/mike-johnson-christian-nationalism-guns-political-violence/
FIFTEEN people shot at a Halloween party in Chicago today. America is bleeding. Mass shootings are a disease here. And we need a cure fast.
I've been thinking a lot about this the past few days. I'm just sick of people saying "thoughts and prayers" and other fake platitudes. I have nothing against religion and those who want to worship. The thing is that's the most popular go to, even among those who aren't religious. Something bad happens and you recite these empty platitudes like a line from a script because it's what you're expected to do and then you go about your life. And these same people are the ones who say "There's no solution" or "What do you expect me to do?" I get feeling hopeless about the world, I really do. However, the situation isn't hopeless. You can write your congressman/senator, you can create and sign petitions, you can speak out on the topic, you can attend rallies, etc. The thing is, people have become numb to violence. You see it on TV, read about it and watch videos on your phone, read about it in the newspaper and so on; humanity has become desensitized and that's the reason things like gun violence and rape has been allowed to continue. We need to resensitize (is that a word?) ourselves to the pain and suffering of those around us. It's gonna be uncomfortable and hurt like hell, but change doesn't happen when you stay inside of your comfort zone. The thing is, how many people are willing to leave their comfort zone and actively participate in change? After all, it's easier to retweet posts on Twitter and comment "Thoughts and prayers" under a post on Instagram than it is to do the things I mentioned above.
I'd like to add something to this gun conversation, which touches on guns and high artillery. Are my husband and I the only ones concerned of WWIII breaking out with Russia invading the Ukraine and whatever stupidity is happening in the Middle East, not to mention possibly another Civil War in the U.S.? I mean, the dude the Repugs pick supports the orange creature and those MAGAts, if they win in 2024 (forbid they do) they are going after those who are against them... I can see we have an envirnoment, for those who survive WWIII, like we see on First Contact, only the Vulcans (just an alien race in general, I really don't know who or what) aren't going to make first contact with us, because we're too primitive and barbaric. It's an awful feeling.
565 mass shootings in 298 days this year.
Pray for the victims in Maine. This is awful 😖
AR15 and other military style weapons should be outlawed.
I know the feeling, Marina. I often wish I didn't live here. My older son talks of moving to France. I said if you do, I'm going to knock on the U.K.'s door and see if I can move there- less of a culture shock for me and my son can still come see me in a few hours. I've gotten to where I don't want to go to the store and I've started shopping on line more, even for groceries, but I don't find it a guarantee of being safer. I'm not joking when I say, "until the guns come out". Everytime I get into a political or any other argument with someone, knowing many are in love with guns, I get a little scared, because I've never owned a gun in my life and I'm not going to start now. Guns have only one purpose and no other purpose, unlike a hammer or a bat. My job would be good if it weren't for the gun nuts there and the #1 gun nut is my boss. My job is just OK because of that. I don't feel safe at work because of that. Sadly, many who attacked the Capital Jan 4 were from Missouri and I'm really ashamed of that. It all scares me and as much as I joked about tea and taxes to the U.K., some of it wasn't a joke. I only wish I could move to the U.K. or even Canada. I envy you, because you have duel citizenship and can get away.
And another one, this time affecting my university in Baltimore. I am devastated, angry, and sad that America continues to ignore the gun problems here in this country. Stay a prayer for my university family.🧡🐻💙
I completely agree. It's hard for me to imagine living in a country, where I would be afraid that I can get shot randomly somewhere on a street. I'm really glad that in Poland you must have a gun licence to use any kinds of guns.
You've got a great point there Marina. It seems that guns means a lot more to certain groups of people in the USA than a woman's right to choose, LGBTQ+ rights, education, etc. It's pretty sick. I hope that things change for the better soon. Maybe now, Floridians might want to get rid of DeSantis!! This guys is nuts!!!!!!!! I'm moving to Florida soon (which is where I was born and raised.). Mom's For Liberty scare me too. They're are the ones that want to ban books that talk about gender identity, lgbtq+ issues, and anything negative that has happened in the past so that the "whites" look good. SICK!!!!!!! Now the idiot of DeSantis is saying the the slaves benifited from slavery?? WTH!!! Nope!!! He's really nuts.