ByKaren Graham
Published May 7, 2023
The United States is suffering from a string of deadly mass shootings including one in Philadelphia that left three dead and 11 others wounded on June 4, 2022. — © AFP
Gun violence has sadly become a fixture of life in America in 2023, with over 160 mass shootings so far this year.
Seeing the statistics on deaths by gun violence nearly every single day on the news or on social media has become almost routine – especially for so many Americans not yet directly affected.
What it comes down to is that mass shootings end lives in a senseless instant. And it doesn’t matter where you might be, either. Grocery stores, fast-food restaurants, schools, and even houses of worship are now fair game for the idiots that want to take a few lives.
On a single weekend last month, according to CNN News, there were mass shootings spanning six states, killing at least 10 people. In Dadeville, Alabama, the futility of senseless violence raging out of control was underscored by the carnage at a Sweet 16 party, when four people were shot dead and at least 32 others were wounded.
Law enforcement at the scene of the Northside Hospital on 3 May 2023. This is approximately one and a half hours after the shooting at 1:31 PM ET. They are headed south on Peachtree St towards the building. Source – Ashton Cooper. CC SA 4.0.
Mass shootings statistics
Figures from the Gun Violence Archive – a non-profit research database – show that the number of mass shootings has gone up significantly in recent years. In each of the last three years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings, or almost two a day on average.
The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed. I think I like the FBI’s definition better.
In the 1980s, the FBI established a definition for “mass murder” as “four or more victims slain, in one event, in one location, according to a Congressional Research Service report detailing the definitions.
Mass shootings statistics
Figures from the Gun Violence Archive – a non-profit research database – show that the number of mass shootings has gone up significantly in recent years. In each of the last three years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings, or almost two a day on average.
The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed. I think I like the FBI’s definition better.
In the 1980s, the FBI established a definition for “mass murder” as “four or more victims slain, in one event, in one location, according to a Congressional Research Service report detailing the definitions.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stands with fellow Democrats holding photographs of the victims of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, before passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in front of the House of Representatives on June 24, 2022
– Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP POOL
Routine political reaction has become a joke
Interestingly, if a mass shooting was alleged to be carried out by a terrorist or foreign adversary, lawmakers would jump up and down demanding a national push for action
But in America, mass shootings are part of the background noise of daily life. They are part of the national reality, sort of like we now think about extreme weather events… Many of us say, “Thank God it didn’t happen here.”
To make matters worse, mass shootings have become a political issue, pitting gun control advocates against people who are fiercely protective of their right to bear arms.
With little if any prospects for action to stem endless violence, this means that politicians can make do with the rather trite comment – “My thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
But really, “thoughts and prayers” are not enough, folks. The new reality is that there is no place in America that is considered safe. I think we here in the United States are the only country in the world where guns outnumber the total population.
Routine political reaction has become a joke
Interestingly, if a mass shooting was alleged to be carried out by a terrorist or foreign adversary, lawmakers would jump up and down demanding a national push for action
But in America, mass shootings are part of the background noise of daily life. They are part of the national reality, sort of like we now think about extreme weather events… Many of us say, “Thank God it didn’t happen here.”
To make matters worse, mass shootings have become a political issue, pitting gun control advocates against people who are fiercely protective of their right to bear arms.
With little if any prospects for action to stem endless violence, this means that politicians can make do with the rather trite comment – “My thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
But really, “thoughts and prayers” are not enough, folks. The new reality is that there is no place in America that is considered safe. I think we here in the United States are the only country in the world where guns outnumber the total population.
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