After hearing about the lethal assault at the Fort Lauderdale airport and watching some of the TV commentary, I was struck but the almost total absence of any mention of the role of guns.
Discussion of guns and gun violence seems to have faded from the realm of public discourse even when dramatic events like this and the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting occur. Discussion focuses on mental health or other issues without mention of the use of guns themselves.
Unfortunately, the issue of gun access has been successfully avoided by the Legislature and that silence has been joined by the news outlets.
A brief view of statistical details is staggering and depressing. From the Bradycampaign.org comes the following. Every day, 90 people die from gun violence: 31 are murdered, 56 kill themselves, two are killed unintentionally and one is killed by police intervention. Every day, 216 people are shot and survive: 159 shot in an assault, 11 survive a suicide attempt, 43 are shot unintentionally, and three are shot in a police intervention.
The number of U.S. citizens killed by terrorists worldwide from 2004 to 2013 totaled 313, while 316,545 people were killed by firearms in the U.S. during that period.
Have we all simply given up on this matter? Is this the social equivalent of what businesses call “the cost of doing business” when dealing with unavoidable losses?
Of course focusing on guns only scratches the surface regarding violence in our culture in general. However, it is in some ways potentially more amenable to constructive intervention.
Consider how seat belts reduce automobile deaths. That does not stop people from driving.
Are there not similar tangible changes that could be enacted regarding guns and still allow their responsible use? We need to break the silence.
Paul Redstone
Northampton