Editor,
I was shocked by the letter by Mr. Dieckman on Nov. 23 defending the NRA, saying that guns don’t kill people, video games and poor parenting do … that racism, white supremacy and easy access to assault weapons play no role? If violent video games were a cause then South Korea would top the list but it is 23rd while the USA is first among developed nations.
There are no studies implicating “poor parenting” as a cause of gun violence. What is related is white supremacy, like the incidents in Texas and New Zealand, etc. PTSD, depression and military experience also contribute.
Eighty percent of suicides are by guns. They are just such easy and efficient killing machines. How many people would have died in Las Vegas if the shooter had single shot guns?
Most mass shootings in the USA are driven by white supremacists, unhappy teens or, like Dylan Roof, both. Australia got fed up with mass shootings and instituted gun reform in 1996. They found that what followed was “more than a decade free of fatal mass shootings, accelerating declines in firearm deaths, particularly suicides. Total homicides followed the same pattern, according to the medical journal, Injury Prevention.
The NRA, a gun lobby, doesn’t want it known how dangerous guns are. Which is why Rep. Jay Dickey (R-AR), directed by the NRA and gun industry, got an amendment passed which prevents the Centers for Disease Control from collecting data on gun violence and the Republican-led Congress cut CDC funding.
That was 1996 too. Coincidence? In 2012, Mr. Dickey had the grace to apologize saying, “I wish I had not been so reactionary.” If you doubt that the NRA promotes terrorism just check out their website and follow the money. Their supporters in Congress are well compensated.
More than 30 school shootings this year. Only in the USA does this happen. I wonder if you would defend the NRA if one of those were in your community? Violent films and video games are not the cause. Hate crimes and mass shooting have risen steadily since 2016. We know what happened that year.
Dianna Deseck- Piazzon
Coupeville
