To the editor:
Guns kill. Indeed, that is what they are meant for, killing things.
Guns have created a new meme/hashtag: #schoolshootings. The most recent one took place Jan. 23 in Benton, Ky. Two died; 16 were wounded. This was the 11th school shooting in the first 23 days of 2018. It appears now the pathology of gun ownership has hit teenagers and pre-teens, with a vengeance.
On Jan. 26 in Uniontown, Penn., a quick-thinking teenager overheard another teenager on a bus discussing killing other teenagers, and told his mother, who then reported it to police. A search warrant on the teen’s house discovered a stash of “a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, two machetes, throwing knives, two lever-action rifles, a revolver, a crossbow, and bulk ammunition for all of the weapons.” The banal reason the teen was going to kill the other kids: he just didn’t like them.
America has unleashed a monstrous nightmare on itself. In 2014, there were 33,599 gun-related deaths. Every year since then it has increased. As of Jan. 23, there have been over 2,000.
There are an estimated 357 million guns in the United States — more than its population of 326 million. A large number of these guns are uncontrolled and easily gotten by anyone, now especially by kids.
What is the NRA and gun owner solution: more guns. And easier to get. An old adage: you don’t throw gasoline on your burning house, which, contrary to any reason, is what America is now doing with guns.
We need gun control. It’s that simple. At this rate, in 10 years, there will be two guns for each citizen, all mostly uncontrolled and easily accessible.
What other civilized nation has created a culture where kids can now murder each other in their own schools? I can’t think of any. This, in a nutshell, is pure madness.
(As I’m finalizing this letter Feb. 1, a 12-year-old brings a gun to a middle school in Los Angeles, wounding two. This is going to get worse before it gets any better.)
James P. Chasse
St. Agatha, ME
