Jul 21, 2012
Another summer, another mass shooting of innocent civilians.
Another round of media feeding frenzy on the tragedy, another collective outpouring of sympathy and outrage from the public, another set of poses and postures from politicians for and against increased regulation of weapons in this country.
It's gotten to be so predictable, it's hard to get that engaged, although of course one has to pause and reflect on the horror of being mowed down in one's seat in a suburban movie theater.
The truth is, it's amazing that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often in America.
After all, we are the largest gun manufacturer in the world. We're also the largest producer of violent entertainment in the world, from BATMAN to video games to pornography.
Barring countries actively engaged in civil war--Syria, anyone? Israel/Palestine? Congo?--we sport the most heavily armed civilian population in the world.
As the pundits have been saying repeatedly all day, states like Colorado have no regulation at all over who can buy assault weapons. Any Joe can walk in to a gunshop and walk out with an AK-47, no questions asked.
With policies like that, is it any wonder lethal weapons end up in the hands of loonies and psychopaths?
Everyone knows what needs to be done: we need to make it much harder to obtain weapons, especially assault weapons.
After all, we don't let kids get into cars and drive them without training and licensing, because we know cars can be easily turned into lethal weapons.
But actual guns, whose sole purpose is killing, we sell over the counter without screening or comment.
Back in the 1980s, it took a coalition of furious mothers to start the movement that eventually led to much stricter punishments for driving drunk, as well as greatly improved education for teens on the dangers of drunk driving.
Remember MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving?
Those grieving mothers had lost their children to our nation's lax drunk driving enforcement, coupled with a permissive, boys-will-be-boys culture, and they weren't going to take their personal tragedies lying down.
Neither should we.
I want to see rallies in every state capital, demanding gun control legislation effective immediately!
I want to see Gabrielle Giffords at the head of a march on Washington, insisting that our nation's leaders do more than put the flags at half-mast and shed some crocodile tears over the loss of innocent lives today.
I want our society to show some backbone!
Not just on this issue, but on all the difficult issues that face us nationally and internationally today.
Enough sitting back and waiting for the next tragedy to strike. Time to put down the remote, get off the couch, and get down to the business of making ourselves a better world.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jennifer Browdy De Hernandez
Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez teaches comparative literature and gender studies with an activist bent at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA and blogs at Transition Times.
Another summer, another mass shooting of innocent civilians.
Another round of media feeding frenzy on the tragedy, another collective outpouring of sympathy and outrage from the public, another set of poses and postures from politicians for and against increased regulation of weapons in this country.
It's gotten to be so predictable, it's hard to get that engaged, although of course one has to pause and reflect on the horror of being mowed down in one's seat in a suburban movie theater.
The truth is, it's amazing that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often in America.
After all, we are the largest gun manufacturer in the world. We're also the largest producer of violent entertainment in the world, from BATMAN to video games to pornography.
Barring countries actively engaged in civil war--Syria, anyone? Israel/Palestine? Congo?--we sport the most heavily armed civilian population in the world.
As the pundits have been saying repeatedly all day, states like Colorado have no regulation at all over who can buy assault weapons. Any Joe can walk in to a gunshop and walk out with an AK-47, no questions asked.
With policies like that, is it any wonder lethal weapons end up in the hands of loonies and psychopaths?
Everyone knows what needs to be done: we need to make it much harder to obtain weapons, especially assault weapons.
After all, we don't let kids get into cars and drive them without training and licensing, because we know cars can be easily turned into lethal weapons.
But actual guns, whose sole purpose is killing, we sell over the counter without screening or comment.
Back in the 1980s, it took a coalition of furious mothers to start the movement that eventually led to much stricter punishments for driving drunk, as well as greatly improved education for teens on the dangers of drunk driving.
Remember MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving?
Those grieving mothers had lost their children to our nation's lax drunk driving enforcement, coupled with a permissive, boys-will-be-boys culture, and they weren't going to take their personal tragedies lying down.
Neither should we.
I want to see rallies in every state capital, demanding gun control legislation effective immediately!
I want to see Gabrielle Giffords at the head of a march on Washington, insisting that our nation's leaders do more than put the flags at half-mast and shed some crocodile tears over the loss of innocent lives today.
I want our society to show some backbone!
Not just on this issue, but on all the difficult issues that face us nationally and internationally today.
Enough sitting back and waiting for the next tragedy to strike. Time to put down the remote, get off the couch, and get down to the business of making ourselves a better world.
Jennifer Browdy De Hernandez
Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez teaches comparative literature and gender studies with an activist bent at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, MA and blogs at Transition Times.
Another summer, another mass shooting of innocent civilians.
Another round of media feeding frenzy on the tragedy, another collective outpouring of sympathy and outrage from the public, another set of poses and postures from politicians for and against increased regulation of weapons in this country.
It's gotten to be so predictable, it's hard to get that engaged, although of course one has to pause and reflect on the horror of being mowed down in one's seat in a suburban movie theater.
The truth is, it's amazing that this sort of thing doesn't happen more often in America.
After all, we are the largest gun manufacturer in the world. We're also the largest producer of violent entertainment in the world, from BATMAN to video games to pornography.
Barring countries actively engaged in civil war--Syria, anyone? Israel/Palestine? Congo?--we sport the most heavily armed civilian population in the world.
As the pundits have been saying repeatedly all day, states like Colorado have no regulation at all over who can buy assault weapons. Any Joe can walk in to a gunshop and walk out with an AK-47, no questions asked.
With policies like that, is it any wonder lethal weapons end up in the hands of loonies and psychopaths?
Everyone knows what needs to be done: we need to make it much harder to obtain weapons, especially assault weapons.
After all, we don't let kids get into cars and drive them without training and licensing, because we know cars can be easily turned into lethal weapons.
But actual guns, whose sole purpose is killing, we sell over the counter without screening or comment.
Back in the 1980s, it took a coalition of furious mothers to start the movement that eventually led to much stricter punishments for driving drunk, as well as greatly improved education for teens on the dangers of drunk driving.
Remember MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving?
Those grieving mothers had lost their children to our nation's lax drunk driving enforcement, coupled with a permissive, boys-will-be-boys culture, and they weren't going to take their personal tragedies lying down.
Neither should we.
I want to see rallies in every state capital, demanding gun control legislation effective immediately!
I want to see Gabrielle Giffords at the head of a march on Washington, insisting that our nation's leaders do more than put the flags at half-mast and shed some crocodile tears over the loss of innocent lives today.
I want our society to show some backbone!
Not just on this issue, but on all the difficult issues that face us nationally and internationally today.
Enough sitting back and waiting for the next tragedy to strike. Time to put down the remote, get off the couch, and get down to the business of making ourselves a better world.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.