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Ideas over anger
The letter dated July 15 contains a critical error. The CDC report on gun deaths in 2020 is actually 45,222, of which 19,384 were murders. Suicides with a gun were 24,292.
Now 19,000 deaths doesn't feel like that big of a number. Unless you're the parent, grandparent, child or spouse of the victim. Then you have a 100% participation rate and a traumatic life change.
So, do we do nothing? That doesn't feel right. Ban a class of weapons? They only work if the public is solidly in favor. And in the U.S. now, we're not.
So, what to do? I have no debate-altering idea. I'm as lost as you are. But, most gun violence occurs in impoverished communities and families. Place to start. And how about gun safety training? Do novice shooters understand trigger and muzzle discipline? How to clean and maintain your gun?
The ultimate sin, though, is the amount of vitriol and energy we spend fighting about it. With little discussion to cultivate good ideas. Is that what the victims of gun violence deserve?
H. Bradley Bole
Marietta