In the wake of eight shot dead in Georgia and ten in Colorado over the past couple of weeks, I was going to take a deep dive into gun violence. I would draw on analyses discussing: a wide range of relevant data; how we compare to other countries; U.S. mass shooting statistics; going small by “chip[ping] away at a large problem through a public health approach”; and a contrary prescription that asserts, “To change the status quo, Democrats should go big.”
On second thought…
Nah.
If you’re up for exploring any or all of these excellent articles, go at it.
But what strikes me about many such analyses is, through no fault of their own, how recycled they are. They update diagnoses, descriptions and prescriptions from a few years ago. They leave me disinclined to reinvent or regurgitate the wheel on this debate.
I’m not criticizing these thoughtful, informative commentaries; they’re as valid today as when originally written. But the refrains bring to mind this piece the Onion publishes each time we have a mass shooting: “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.”
Instead, then, I’ll offer constructive laughter rather than despairing tears. I’ll recycle some humorous but extremely insightful videos contrasting American firearms policies and perspectives with those of Australia.
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