Outrage, not hope, will move us to prevent gun violence | Opinion
At my public speaking events, the most common question I get these days is, “What gives you hope?” In the face of multiple, cascading crises in American life, the pressure is on to be optimistic. To be sure, despair offers little motivation for action. But there can be fine lines between hope, wishful thinking and denial. And sometimes anger and outrage are more appropriate sentiments than optimism and hope.
It's no mystery why so many Americans die every year from guns: it's because so many Americans have guns, including extraordinarily powerful, military-style guns that have no justifiable use in civilian life. It's a simple fact that in countries where people have fewer guns, fewer gun deaths occur. Canada is no exception: in wealthy countries across the globe, deaths by firearms are far less frequent than in the U.S., and these lower death rates correlate with stricter gun regulation and lower rates of gun ownership. In the U.S., the rate of gun ownership per 100 inhabitants is 120.5; in France, it is 19.6.
It wasn't always this way in the U.S. Although guns have long been part of American reality and mythology, the easy availability of assault rifles is a relatively recent phenomenon. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, in the 1980s consumer demand for guns was declining. In response, the gun industry began to make and market military-style weapons.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hours of air left, friends of Titanic submarine crew hope for happy endingQuestions about the submersible's safety have come into the spotlight since the crew went missing.
Read more »
Hunter Biden live updates: Plea deal struck on tax charges, ending years-long DOJ probeNEW YORK — Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to a pair of tax-related misdemeanors as part of a deal that would end a politically fraught and years-long probe into his personal and professional life, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Read more »
School Spirits Season 2 Renewed By Paramount Plus After Major Season 1 Cliffhanger EndingAfter a game-changing cliffhanger, Paramount+ has confirmed that the supernatural teen dramedy series School Spirits will be back for season 2.
Read more »
With Pandemic Aid Ending, Vermont’s Homeless Are Forced From HotelsBRATTLEBORO, Vt. — As his few remaining hours with a place to live ticked by last Thursday, Scott Alexander panhandled near a McDonald’s in Brattleboro, in southern Vermont, while running through a mental checklist of the supplies he would need for a move back into the woods nearby. He had a tent and sleeping bags for himself and his wife, a propane stove and a heater. But he needed tarps and propane, and in two hours of holding his battered cardboard sign — “Any Act of Kind Greatly Appreciate”
Read more »
'Extraction 2' Ending and Idris Elba’s Last Line Explained by DirectorExtraction2 director Sam Hargrave breaks down the ending, Idris Elba's last line, and more in this exclusive interview:
Read more »
Biden allies praise Hunter plea deal as ‘justice.’ Trump sees opposite.Allies of President Biden described his son Hunter’s federal plea deal Tuesday as evidence of the integrity of the criminal justice system. But former president Donald Trump joined other Republicans in calling the plea confirmation of the opposite.
Read more »