How Many Deaths Are Enough?

How many are enough?

How many dead children murdered by some mentally ill or simply evil gun- toting person are enough? How many workplace shootings? How many people must die while going about their business, attending church services, grocery shopping, going to the post office or to the movies? How many children must be murdered while simply attending school? How many mass shootings must we hear about day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year?

Is there an upper limit we have not yet reached to satisfy the blood lust of the gun gods?

So far in 2023 there have been 210 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive. A mass shooting is defined as a shooting in which there are at least four injuries or fatalities, excluding the gunman.

Members of Congress refuse to do anything to even attempt to curb gun violence. Many oppose a ban on assault weapons, which have only a single purpose -- to kill quickly and in massive numbers. The best they can do is to offer still more platitudes of thoughts and prayers. Big effing deal. Thoughts and prayers are too little too late. They do absolutely nothing to ease the pain and the heartache of family and friends of those who were murdered.

I don’t want to hear any more thoughts and prayers. They are useless. They are insulting.

And don't talk to me about your freedom to own as many weapons as you want. Want about my freedom to go to the grocery store or to the mall without fear of being murdered? What about the freedom of our children to attend school without fear or being slaughtered?

I want our so-called ‘leaders’ to actually act like leaders. Rather than squabbling and wasting time and taxpayer money on still more investigations and hearings and political posturing, they need to start dealing with this country’s real problems.