What the Hell Is Wrong With America?: 7 Myths That Prop Up Mass Shooting Culture … Deep layers of denial perpetuate gun violence.
“Tragedies like the Umpqua Community College carnage are not inevitable facts of life in America.They are a consequence of a society that doesn’t want to take a hard look at the roots and causes of violence, and understands that you don’t make deadly force widely and readily available to human beings.”
1. It can’t happen here. Yes, it can. Crime and violence in small towns are everyday occurrences in America.
2. We’re like other countries. No, we’re not. Not when it comes to guns, violence and gun-related deaths.
3. We think we understand human nature. No, as a country, we don’t.
4. There’s denial atop denial. It piles on. Too many Americans are in denial that access to guns exacerbates violence. They’re in denial about the extent of gun tragedies, from murders to severe injuries in domestic disputes and crime.
5. Denial empowers America’s gun cults. Americans don’t want to raise the question most feared by gun nuts, which is: “Why are all your guns necessary?” We haven’t been a frontier-exploring and slave-owning society for many generations.
6. There is no political solution. Of course there is a political solution. Guns don’t grow on trees. They are not part of nature. They are man-made, just as laws that govern society are, and they could change if there were sufficient political will
7. Americans are avoiding reality. There are choices being made. Americans don’t have to ignore the reality of ongoing gun violence. They don’t have to pretend that mass shootings could never happen where they live.
Curmudgeon at Work 