The problem is that we are continually in crisis. This is happening multiple times a week. We really need to have a serious discussion and action around the future of guns in our country.
Drug overdoses killed approximately 64,000 people in 2016[1], combined with the 21,000 suicides from firearms, I would argue that perhaps mental health issues are much more serious than firearm issues.
You might be thinking of smoking related deaths, which kill ~480k Americans/yr. Unfortunately even if every American stopped smoking today, the damage is already done and the rate would only bottom out over a period of ~20 years.
Arguably, homicides and suicides highlight very different causes. Only the tool in use is common. These should be treated and studied separately.
To me, these are the 4 major pillars of America's gun situation:
1. Widespread availability of guns. The USA has about 330 million guns, or one gun per American. This is more than the number of dogs + cats in the USA. While many Americans own no guns, those Americans who do own guns, often own several.
2. Unhealthy attitudes toward mental health. Much of the country lives with deep insecurities, mental issues, unhealthy stress, and little access to counseling or psychiatry. Further, many live with memories of their loved ones being ripped from their homes, and would rather hide any mental issue in the fear of losing all agency. And our movies and TV shows and YouTube videos are all too quick to capitalize on these fears.
3. Unhealthy attitudes toward guns.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks / You better run, better run, outrun my gun - Foster The People, Pumped Up Kicks
Instead of helping each other with our insecurities, we sell each other guns. We glorify guns in our stories - the ultimate god, or the ultimate devil, either way a symbol demanding ultimate respect in the narrative. All the world's a stage, right?
4. Culture of exclusivism and elitism that strokes some egos, while creating toxic situations for everyone else. These are much more subtle and hard to identify - ranging from someone cutting you off in traffic, to someone being unsympathetic online or in person, to the complex financial decisions that happen in the back of our heads when we contemplate a doctor visit. These are the impulse to troll a comment thread or dominate a dinner conversation. These are the very impulses that led to the Pickle Rick fiasco and the impending Trump Wall.
