EDITOR:

My last words about gun violence

Thank you, Mr. Glass and Mr. Smouthers, for responding to my letter – although you accused me of emotion and limited firearm knowledge (both true), and irrelevant and ‘dishonest’ facts. I included my sources (e.g., the Violence Project) to allow judgement of my facts versus opinions.

Facts:

– In 2016, the NRA dubbed the AR-15 ‘America’s Rifle’, and manufacturers stressed masculinity in marketing to men.

– In 1970s, AR-type guns were 3% of firearm sales, but now are 26%.

– Interviews with mass shooters identified common traits: early childhood exposure to violence and trauma, an identifiable grievance or crisis point preceding the shooting, finding inspiration in past shootings by others, and having the means to carry the shooting out.

– Suicidality is another strong predictor of committing a mass shooting (death by cop).

– Gun violence is the leading cause of death in children – about 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries every day.

– In 2022 there were 38,390 firearm deaths; 24,432 (62.6%) were suicides.

If you thought my description of assault-type weapons was frightening, please read: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/ar-15-damage-to-human-body/ This unsanitized article shows what high velocity bullets do to human bodies, especially children, in a very short time. This past weekend, a man arriving before police tried to help Texas mall shooter victims – not with a gun but trauma measures. He came upon a crouched girl and moved her head to check her pulse; she had no face!

Mandating active shooter training (run, hide, fight) in schools and work places is often more frightening than reassuring to children, teachers, and employees. Paramedics who have completed ‘Stop the Bleed’ education (based on combat experiences) now carry active-killer kits (tourniquets, decompression needles, agents to stop or slow bleeding, and emergency trauma dressings).

An April, 2023 Fox News poll of 1,004 randomly selected registered Republican and Democrat voters showed clear political differences on only two questions; 84% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans would ban assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons. Conversely, 61% of Republicans versus 27% of Democrats favor citizens carrying guns. Both Republicans and Democrats supported criminal background checks for all gun buyers (87%), better enforcement of existing gun laws (81%), raising the legal age to buy guns to 21 (81%), mental health checks for gun buyers (80%), police removing guns from people considered dangerous to themselves or others (80%), and a waiting period for gun purchases (77%). These common-sense strategies allow most Americans to have firearms if they wish, while decreasing the risk of being killed by mass shooters.

Another horrendous mass killing in Texas. Add old white guys fatally shooting people who don’t look like them or who are ‘trespassing.’ How much more gut-wrenching can it get? Opinion: I, like many Americans, am way past thoughts and prayers as a morally defensible response to mass shootings. Given the mutual agreement about universal background checks, red flag laws and so forth, we must continue to urge Republican legislators to act on these measures.

Rita Wickham

Rapid River