To despair? Another mass shooting in US

[KimberleyClark]

8 people killed. In Texas shopping mall.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65515915

Didn’t mean to enable a vote sorry.

I'm afraid that the USA as a country doesn't want to do anything to prevent these terrible events, and there is very nothing that I, living in England, can do about that, so I just try and ignore them now.

Nothing will be done. It'll continue. There'll be another one shortly.

I'm afraid I don't even register them now the remedy is in their own hands and they do nothing.

I just ignore them. There's no point even caring anymore. There's been 2 mass shootings in Serbia recently which is closer to home. Not sure what the situation with firearms is there, I don't imagine they're a lax as the US but no doubt there's plenty of guns in the country due to the civil wars 30 years ago.

Why do people feel compelled or justified in doing this, ultimate, unhinged revenge tactic?

Why is it more prevalent in USA than anywhere else, there must be more behind this than just the gun laws?

1. Poorly regulated use of firearms.
2. Macho culture.
3. Individuality trumps community culture.
4. Revenge tactic, with a nuclear solution.
5. Poorly resourced mental health????
6. Substance abuse???
7. Alienation from society, being radicalised online???

Michael Moore's doc 'Bowling for Columbine' made man years ago attempted to find out why there were so many mass shooting in the US. It concluded that the main difference between US and other countries was the 24 hr news constantly creating a culture of fear and threat. Other countries with similar lax gun laws (Canada) do not have a homocide problem on the scale America does. It was fascinating and chilling. The US has the biggest shooting problem in the entire world - even bigger than the middle east and South America where gins ownership is rife.
And they think they are 'civilised'.

sorry - not gin ownership 😄

Like many others, I don't even handwring any more. It is what it is, Americans choose the right to bear arms and mass shootings are a result. Awful that we shrug and move on, perhaps, but there we go.

Most westernised countries have 24 hour news.

I think it's a combination of a lot of factors.

The US has always been a violent place, the wild west wasn't that long ago. It's a country made up of lots of disparate groups carving out their place in the New World.

Look at their TV and movies over the years, so much of it is just about a man going around with a gun shooting people he doesn't like. And they've exported that around the world.

It's so hard to understand why the USA has such a higher rate of mass killings, they don't even have the highest gun ownership, though they are one of the only that allows individuals to have semi automatic weapons (resulting in mass shootings rather than a smaller number of deaths, not that any death is acceptable, it's scale that differs). In other countries with high gun ownership the bigger issue is male suicide especially in middle age

America is lost to guns, beyond the point of return. It’s only ever going to get worse, there’s no point in giving it headspace because it will never change. Mass shootings are their thing and I doubt even something utterly abhorrent and unthinkable akin to killing an entire school or going on a mass rampage on live tv would ever sway the hardened gun owners.

If the USA as a country doesn't feel it is important enough to deal with, there appears to be very little any other countries can do. As they so often say when there is a tragedy, all we can offer is our good wishes & prayers etc. Yes I know it's trite & basically meaningless... but so are the US government's repeated statements against gun violence.

I struggle to make sense of these two statements.

Most adults aged 21 or over in Texas are allowed to carry a handgun without a licence, unless they have a previous conviction. In addition, there are few restrictions on possession of rifles and shotguns.

Allen Mayor Ken Fulk called it "a tragic day" for the city. "Allen is a proud and safe city, which makes today's senseless act of violence even more shocking," he said on the city's website.

Lots of people walking around with guns doesn't mean a safe city, other than safety by fear I suppose.

Another day, another shooting in America. How awful that I feel that way. I didn't even click on the story in the news when I saw it.

And that's so unfair on ordinary American families who don't want to like like this any more than I do.

Some odd replies. There’s many people, even in states like Texas, that aren’t pro gun, including my family and friends. The remedy certainly isn’t in their hands.

Its very sad, these people matter, children caught up in this, they matter. It’s awful to not care. There a lot of normal people that don’t want guns.

My sister lives 5 km from this mall and goes there often. I am so heartsick and weary of this.

She is totally anti-gun, volunteered for the Dems, worked for gun control, does not have a single gun. But she has to kowtow to the majority. She can't move either as she has roots in the community.

Ifailed · Today 10:53
I'm afraid that the USA as a country doesn't want to do anything to prevent these terrible events, and there is very nothing that I, living in England, can do about that, so I just try and ignore them now.”

This. I switch off now. As a supposedly democratic country, I guess this is what people vote for 🤷‍♀️

It’s part of their culture. That will not change in our lifetimes, if ever.
The right to own guns is a priority for them, it’s a visceral, fundamental need and as such can’t be challenged by logic, examples of how other countries avoid mass shootings or any sort of rational response.
Thoughtnprayers are the response. Then a further increase in gun ownership to deal with the fear.

It is never going to change. It is very sad though.

That doesn't sit right with me. Anymore than I can look at little children going hungry in the UK or people choosing between heating and eating, and say "Well, the UK voted for this."

Some odd replies. There’s many people, even in states like Texas, that aren’t pro gun, including my family and friends. The remedy certainly isn’t in their hands.

Exactly. Americans are not some gun loving homogeneous mass. I know many who campaign against gun laws but their power is very limited. I have a friend from Texas who is a gun owner and even he is very much in favour of much tighter restrictions and does what he can to draw attention to the issue, but again just like people in the U.K, laws won't change overnight, no matter how much people want them to.

@Itdoesnthavetobejusrol Michael moores book about US culture in general (I've forgotten it's name) was for me a real eye opener. Very Large parts of the US (particularly in mid west and south) are still semi third world, full of trailer parks, food stamps and falling down shacks. Add into the mix the lack of gun control (Texas has no licensing restrictions) and it's disaster in the making over and over again . Usually frustrated, undereducated , illiberal morons- the kind that blindly followed Trump . Trump wasn't daft- he knew there were masses of these people- just like Farage did

Said friend does not keep any guns at home btw.

Can I just say I feel for all right minded Americans- of which there are clearly a slight majority - personally I think 'right to bear arms' needs to go.