Since you're actually responding to comments and wrote an article with a clear understanding of the politics at play (I personally worked in professional politics for two decades), here's what I sent to a leading progressive think-tank working on these issues back in 2018 after one of the last tragedies:
GunSense:
1. Firearm Insurance - Every firearm should be insured.
2. National Gun Buyback - The government shouldn't take your guns, it should buy them.
3. Tiered Licensing - If you need a license to drive a car, you should need one to own a gun. Plus, special licensing to own special guns, just like motorcycles and big rigs.
4. Bullet Reform - Guns are cheap, but bullets should be expensive. Ban lead in bullets (it's dangerous and very cheap).
I am well aware of all the proposed ideas that aim to curb gun violence. I have written about it in the past myself. My stance is not due to lack of ideas, but because most of those ideas have been extremely underwhelming where implemented in the US, or they don't target the core of the issue but rather nibble at the very edges. The toothier reforms that would actually make a dent are not even in the same solar system as political achievability. There are dozens of little things we could do, that could get passed at the state level in blue states, and that will save a handful of lives a year. Blue states are already on that.
It's a good essay & outlines why there's such deadlock over guns in this country. The "passion gap" is real.
However, the "don't worry, gun deaths are rare" mollification at the end isn't at all a comfort when, while it might be true for causes of death for all groups, gun deaths recently became the #1 cause of death for Americans under 20.
Anyway, a thing being "rare" doesn't mean we need to just accept it. Airline crashes are rare compared to car deaths. We still have the FAA and investigate the sh*t out of _every_ crash and actually enforce changes to reduce the chance of the next crash. Imagine if we "black boxed" every mass shooting to the same extent?
If someone provides me with a viable path to victory that could result in a noticeable decline in deaths, I will certainly hear them out. I would love to be wrong about this.
"Gun violence doesn’t make the top 10 causes of death, and if gun suicides and homicides are counted as separate categories, they don’t even make the top 20. Gun violence is something we should all be concerned about, but not something we should be living in constant fear or crippling despair over"
Precisely, so I'm concerned about the opportunity cost paid for this article rather than a more pressing, top 20 issue.
Since you're actually responding to comments and wrote an article with a clear understanding of the politics at play (I personally worked in professional politics for two decades), here's what I sent to a leading progressive think-tank working on these issues back in 2018 after one of the last tragedies:
GunSense:
1. Firearm Insurance - Every firearm should be insured.
2. National Gun Buyback - The government shouldn't take your guns, it should buy them.
3. Tiered Licensing - If you need a license to drive a car, you should need one to own a gun. Plus, special licensing to own special guns, just like motorcycles and big rigs.
4. Bullet Reform - Guns are cheap, but bullets should be expensive. Ban lead in bullets (it's dangerous and very cheap).
5. Wife Beaters, Child Molesters, and Rapists Gun Violence Prevention - It's obvious."
Let me know if you want the long version. Keep the faith - apparently, little children in schools are depending us to do so.
I am well aware of all the proposed ideas that aim to curb gun violence. I have written about it in the past myself. My stance is not due to lack of ideas, but because most of those ideas have been extremely underwhelming where implemented in the US, or they don't target the core of the issue but rather nibble at the very edges. The toothier reforms that would actually make a dent are not even in the same solar system as political achievability. There are dozens of little things we could do, that could get passed at the state level in blue states, and that will save a handful of lives a year. Blue states are already on that.
It's a good essay & outlines why there's such deadlock over guns in this country. The "passion gap" is real.
However, the "don't worry, gun deaths are rare" mollification at the end isn't at all a comfort when, while it might be true for causes of death for all groups, gun deaths recently became the #1 cause of death for Americans under 20.
Anyway, a thing being "rare" doesn't mean we need to just accept it. Airline crashes are rare compared to car deaths. We still have the FAA and investigate the sh*t out of _every_ crash and actually enforce changes to reduce the chance of the next crash. Imagine if we "black boxed" every mass shooting to the same extent?
If someone provides me with a viable path to victory that could result in a noticeable decline in deaths, I will certainly hear them out. I would love to be wrong about this.
"Gun violence doesn’t make the top 10 causes of death, and if gun suicides and homicides are counted as separate categories, they don’t even make the top 20. Gun violence is something we should all be concerned about, but not something we should be living in constant fear or crippling despair over"
Precisely, so I'm concerned about the opportunity cost paid for this article rather than a more pressing, top 20 issue.
I would direct you to the final paragraph, which acknowledges and addresses that point.
Acknowledging the decision to pay a less than cost, is still a less than cost.