Scenes of agony and horror all too familiar
—In ’merica .
Ten mass shootings a week .

Firearm injuries :
Leading cause of death among people
< 24 in the United States .

2015 through 2020: at least 2,070 unintentional shootings
By children under 18 in the US :
765 deaths and 1,366 injuries .

Firearm deaths over the past three decades—
A total of more than 1 million lives lost since 1990 .

A burden unequal .
Homicide rate among young Black men :
142 homicide deaths for every 100,000 Black men ages 20 to 24—
10 times higher than the overall rate .

There are about 393 million privately owned firearms in the US :
120 guns for every 100 Americans .
—No other nation has more civilian guns than people .

Mass shooting :
At least four people are shot,
Excluding the ƒ⋂Ͻkᴉɳ⅁ shooter .

Remember, we’re alone .
It does not have to be this way .
Laws to curb gun deaths in other countries achieved significant results .

Australia .
Less than two weeks after Australia’s worst mass shooting,
The federal government banned rapid–fire rifles / shotguns, and unified gun licensing / registration .
Gun deaths in Australia fell by more than 50% .

The government’s 1997 buyback program—
Led to an average drop in firearm suicide rates of 74% .

South Africa .
Gun–related deaths almost halved over a 10–year period after
The Firearms Control Act of 2000 .
Much more difficult to obtain a firearm .

Britain .
Tightened its gun laws and banned most private handgun ownership
After a mass shooting in 1996, a move that saw
Gun deaths drop by almost a quarter over a decade .

But America’s gun culture is a global outlier .
For now, and for how long,
Must the deadly cycle of violence continue ?

:   What about all the gunless cold, dead hands ?

* Versification | “ Three weeks and 39 mass shootings.   This is America in 2023 . ” Paul LeBlanc / CNN

*[ WSB ]_.