If it's not guns, what is it?
A question for every American who opposes any and all gun control.
Another day, another shooting rampage. This time at an elementary school. And over a dozen families won’t get to see their children grow up.
This happens so frequently that the script has been memorized by pretty much everyone. Here’s an example:
I’m using this example not because it involves some nut I can dunk on, but because Blum is a guy I enjoy reading (and listening to) and often agree with. And he is correct that atrocities like today’s rampage inevitably have more than one cause.
But there’s also this elephant in the room:
It’s in Michael Moore’s documentary Bowling for Columbine - which like every Michael Moore film I’ve watched, makes some strong and even devastating points, but also contains some staggering leaps in logic and downright falsehoods1 - that I first came across this argument that other countries also have lots of guns but not as many mass shootings, so Americans must be just uniquely violent for some reason.
I’m not really surprised Moore believes this. Putting down his own country (sometimes with good reason, sometimes to suck up to foreign audiences who love it when a famous American tells them how great they are) is his brand.
It is very strange seeing right-leaning Americans run with it, because I can’t think of anything more anti-American than the idea that they’re just psychopaths and that’s it. Admittedly I don’t read much Chomsky and can’t understand half of what he’s talking about when I do read him, but I’m pretty sure even he doesn’t go that far.
Up here in not-America, I deal with many unhinged, disturbed and violent people in my line of work. So many that I have a hard time imagining my American colleagues run into that many more on an average day.
But at least they can’t get guns so easily.
As the list above shows, we’re actually in the top ten worldwide for per capita firearms ownership, so with a little more work they can get their hands on one. Shootings are not at all uncommon here in Halifax. It’s the rate of gun ownership, and the rate of gun violence, that have a very strong correlation. I’m sure there are other reasons to explain the difference, but that’s an awfully big variable to dismiss out of hand.
And it’s that question - “if it’s not all the guns, what is it?” - which should be asked of every pro-gun politician and commentator at every opportunity. Disaffected young people and vengeful misfits are everywhere. Violent video games are everywhere. Cracks and shortfalls in the mental health system, unfortunately, are everywhere. But among developed countries America is the outlier when it comes to gun violence.
If they can give me a convincing reason aside from the prevalence of firearms and the ease of obtaining them, I’m all ears. Until they do give a reason - or just give up and admit the occasional massacre is the price of freedom - keep asking them. And don’t take deflection and whataboutism for an answer.
As a Canadian, let me assure you that we do indeed lock our doors.
I am so angry at the moment I won't try to write anything here beyond this...
If you're an American and you're ok with dead school kids by the dozen as opposed to something - ANYTHING - in the way of an effort to attempt to stem this tide of bloodshed, just keep on voting Republican, for as long as the GOP has enough political power to continue to aid and abet this evil either by its actions such as the insane relaxation of existing firearm laws in several states such as Texas (with more to come), or its inaction by steadfastly opposing any and every effort at both the state and federal level to bring sanity and common sense to this issue, ALL for its own base and despicable political gain, you shall surely and certainly have them, and have them aplenty.
Yes. I am a gun owner. No. I am not a Democrat. Or a Republican. I'm an American. A very, very angry and pissed off American.