While living in the Philippines from 1987 to 1993, I knew about a half-dozen Filipinos who died from shootings in that wonderful but gun-plagued land. Most were just casual acquaintances of mine, yet each killing hit home. At the same time, though, I became grimly resigned to thinking, “That’s life (and death) in the Philippines.”
America’s own endless plethora of firearm fatalities may lead many of us to a similar conclusion: That’s life and death in the USA. And what with everything else going on these days, addressing gun violence has dropped off the national radar.
All the Empty Rooms, which won this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film, reminds us why we should still deeply care and strive to staunch this bloody epidemic.
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