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A tragic cycle with no end in sight

I hate to admit it, but I’ve become almost numb to the gun violence problem in the U.S. I’ve heard about so many mass shootings south of the border that I’m not surprised when one occurs.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve become almost numb to the gun violence problem in the U.S.

I’ve heard about so many mass shootings south of the border that I’m not surprised when one occurs.

Sure, I feel horrible about the loss of more lives and the people who have sustained serious injuries, but I rarely give it my prolonged attention.

But the really serious ones still catch me off guard.

We heard about a couple of terrible incidents this past week. One was at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people died. The other was an entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio, in which 10 people died, including the gunman. People have described these incidents as domestic terrorism; the shooting in El Paso certainly fits that bill.

They grabbed international headlines, partly because of the number of dead and injured, but also because they happened less than 24 hours apart.

These domestic terror attacks should be sparking swift action from U.S. lawmakers, but all we’re getting is calls for thoughts and prayers.

There are numerous reasons why these incidents continue to happen in the U.S., and one of them is American gun laws. But legislators are skittish about doing anything to change them. 

The second amendment of the U.S. constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. This amendment has been around as long as the country itself. 

But when this amendment was crafted, they didn’t have the assortment of assault weapons that they have now. It was an agrarian nation, fresh off of a revolutionary war that they won to gain independence, and you can understand why they’d want to be carrying a weapon in those days.

If you try to change gun laws, you go head to head with the powerful gun lobby and its legion of followers. If an American politician even hints at making changes to the laws that govern gun ownership, then the gun lobby loses its mind, and the henchmen follow suit. It’s become a minefield for politicians to navigate, and many of them know that changing the gun laws would significantly eat into their support base.

I’ve never understood why some Americans think that if you make some changes to the firearms laws, it’s going to start the country down a slippery slope that will lead to all firearms being illegal in a few years.  

Some actually argue the U.S. needs to have more guns. Having more guns isn’t the answer.

The shootings in El Paso and Dayton have people talking, and maybe something will be done this time. But they were talking after Orlando, Las Vegas and Parkland, too. No change came about from those shootings.

And if there is change that is to happen, we have to remember that the wheels of democracy are often square.

If a real change does occur, it still has to go through U.S. President Donald Trump, who is a master of playing to his base. A lot of that base wants nothing to do with changes to the gun laws, so why would Trump want change?

I’m not a gun owner, but I have lots of friends who are. Most of them are honest, decent, hard-working people. Some are hunters, others are collectors, and yet more are farmers for whom their gun is a tool.

I laugh and cringe when I hear people absurdly talk about banning all firearms. There’s nothing wrong with reasonable and responsible gun ownership.

But you do have to wonder why some people own certain firearms. Why does the average citizen need to have assault weapons? They don’t. They aren’t needed for hunting purposes. They don’t serve a purpose on a farm. They shouldn’t be part of somebody’s collection.

Canada actually has a pretty good gun laws. I won’t pretend we’re perfect. While Americans were mourning the deaths of 29 people in mass shootings, Toronto was dealing with a series of firearms incidents of their own.

But we’re in far better shape than the U.S., which has one of the highest gun violence rates on the planet. The long gun registry was thankfully scrapped a few years ago. There’s a pretty good balance between the rights of gun owners and public safety. 

Perhaps we have the rules that the U.S. should be looking at for firearms.

We’ve seen successive American governments, both Democrats and Republicans, do nothing in the face of these mass shootings.

A shooting happens. We get a healthy dose of talk about thoughts and prayers. Governments will talk about how changes will need to be made.

And nothing changes.

We’ve seen it happen with incidents at Columbine, West Virginia, Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso and Columbus. All of them are different communities and settings, with just one common thread involving guns to unite them.  

I’m sceptical that anything will change this time. People are furious with the lax gun laws. But they’ve been furious before.

And even if there is a commitment to change, it’ll take so long that it won’t happen before the next mass shooting occurs in the U.S.