I started reading a Yahoo article on this being the 1 year anniversary of the mass shooting in a Buffalo, NY grocery store. There were 10 people killed and 3 injured in that shooting. In the article there is a claim that in this country, this year, 2023, there have been 213 mass shootings. What the hell? This is only the 134th day of the year!
The number of mass shootings comes from the Gun Violence Archive and they define a mass shooting as one in which 4 or more people are shot or killed. Of course in 2022 they identified 647 mass shootings; so are we simply on track for a normal year? They also claim 336 mass shootings in all of 2018 so that's quite a change in the past couple of years.
One of the facts about the Buffalo mass shooting is that 11 of the 13 people were Black. And the shooter said he was shooting people because they were Black. Really? WTF? I mean I just cannot imagine shooting someone because they were a different color or nationality or couldn't speak English. If I visit Angola am I going to be shot for being White? Or not speaking Portuguese?
I have trouble imagining being a victim in a mass shooting but I do admit that once in a while in the local grocery or casino I wonder how I would react if someone started shooting. I don't carry a weapon and haven't even applied for a Concealed Weapons Permit so shooting back isn't really in the cards. And my Swiss Army knife isn't much of a weapon. It sounds like hide or run away are the options unless you want to become one of those people in the statistics.
I don't really think that gun control is the answer. If your plan is to go kill a bunch of people you can certainly find an illegal weapon. I've read that there are over 400 million guns in the U.S. That's more guns than there are people! Of course that includes guns like we have in our household, several of which I was using to shoot tin cans when I was a teen ager half a century ago. More to the point they claimed there are almost 20 million AR style guns. Those are way different from the ones we had when I was a kid.
I sure don't have any answers. I guess being aware of how people feel and trying to get them some help is about the only way to help. I mean the kid in the Buffalo shooting was 18 years old! OK, teenagers often get all hopped up about some idea or another. But going out and killing people because they are Black is just so wrong.
Thanks for stopping by. Look out for young people with weapons!
1 comment:
All mass shooters (or at least 99% of them) are white. I really have no explanation for this, it's just interesting to consider. The book, "The 1619 Project" (which is currently being banned in your old State of FL) attempts to explain the American attitude towards Black people. When the first slaves arrived in 1619 people did not look at these people as individuals but rather looked at Black people overall as a "slave race", an attitude that continues to this day. They are not and never will be considered by many to be totally equal and any that do not show the expected "respect" or "deference" towards whites are considered by many to be "uppity" and even less human, making it easier to commit atrocities against them. It is a very sad commentary which is being made even worse by the current political situation in the US. Hispanics face a similar situation, not being looked at as individuals but as a lesser race who are "invading" your country. This also goes a long way towards explaining the difference in the way whites and non-whites are treated by the police in your country. Just a Canadian observation, where we treat our First Nations people in a very similar manner.
I hope you and your wife and family are well. I am enjoying my summer up here on Vancouver Island which started off being quite rainy but is now very pleasant with temperatures in the low to mid 70's. Both my granddaughters and their significant others are coming to visit me for a weekend in June so I am really looking forward to that. I haven't seen the oldest, who lives in Vancouver, in probably four years so it will be a wonderful weekend!
Post a Comment