Another place. Another killer. Another scene of mass death. Another example of the horror in which we live.
Each mass shooting has its own narrative, its own variables, its own arc of devastation. But there is also that common denominator: guns, guns, guns, guns.
Typically these aren’t just any guns, but rather weapons of war loaded with magazines full of bullets designed to kill enemies without remorse. But in America, [military-style] weapons are turned on children at a mall or in school, families on the street, concertgoers, parade watchers, grocery shoppers, people dancing, basically anyone just busy living.
And that means it can happen anywhere. At any time. To any of us.
These are not natural disasters. We are powerless to stop earthquakes but not mass carnage from guns. Fatalism is a favorite tool for those who peddle in death under the pretext of the “Second Amendment.”
This is not about guns for hunting or self-defense. It is not about responsible gun ownership. It is about a Wild West mentality in which there are more laws for opening an ice cream stand than carrying a firearm.
Related Off-site Link:
Texas Mall Shooting: A Grim History of AR-15s and American Tragedies – Jonathan Franklin (NPR News, May 10, 2023).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• The Social Roots of Yet Another American Tragedy
• Something to Think About – December 14, 2012
• Paula Simons: Quote of the Day – December 15, 2012
• Rejoice?
• “I Pray, I Pray”
• Prayer of the Week – June 19, 2016
• Jamelle Bouie: Quote of the Day – October 2, 2017
• Discerning and Embodying Sacred Presence in Times of Violence and Strife
• Questioning God’s Benevolence in the Face of Tragedy
• Emma González: Quote of the Day – February 17, 2018
• Signs of the Times
• Jason Stanley: Quote of the Day – May 16, 2022
• Something to Think About – May 26, 2022
• “For the Love of Our Children, Let’s Not Shut Up”
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