Follow the money: "Who is benefitting from the status quo?"

As a kid in the early 1970's we had a couple of firearms in the house that were properly secured, with ammunition stored separately. I knew that they were off limits without parental permission/supervision and that they were to be treated with great respect. I took gun safety classes that taught sportsmanship, safety, responsibility, respectful hunting, and proper firearm handling. I received and was the proud holder of a little wallet card that said I had completed the classes. That card was from an organization called the NRA.?Never was this about the 2nd amendment, saving us from tyranny, or even personal protection. Polling, and my anecdotal conversations with others, suggest that this is not much different than the vast majority of gun owners today.

For the last several decades the NRA has been taken over by opportunists stoking fear in a declining minority of gun owners and an even smaller minority of the country; pushing the 2nd amendment to absurd levels in pursuit of money and power for themselves and the industry they serve – all the while flooding the country with weapons like they were candy. Questions about the NRA's compliance with its nonprofit status is alone enough to raise eyebrows. (https://www.npr.org/2021/11/02/1051363337/misfire-takes-a-hard-look-at-nepotism-fraud-and-corruption-in-the-nra) The collateral damage to our kids, to our country, and to our humanity has been the price we have paid for this industry's gain. Seeing the stock prices of the top gun manufacturers respond positively to the events of the last couple weeks is horrifying. (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/business/gun-makers-stock.html). The NPR piece below gives a glimpse into the mindset within the hideous monster that the NRA has metastasized into. (https://www.npr.org/2022/05/25/1101401106/the-nras-secret-tapes)

Like with tobacco, oxy, and other public health threats there are many things that could be done that don't tear up the 2nd amendment: collecting and reporting data; strict legal accountability up and down the supply chain; background checks; waiting periods; red flag laws; buybacks; and yes, bans on certain classes of weapons. Thoughts and prayers, sad/angry emoji's and flooding the country with yet more guns clearly is not working. Yes, education, mental health, and addressing the underlying causes of those seeking to act out in violence is vitally important, but the sheer availability of weapons in this country sets us apart from virtually all other nations and the result that we are accepting is uniquely American.

Until we as a country change who we vote for, stop allowing special interest groups to dictate national policy that is out of step with our citizens, prioritize how we spend our money towards health and education, and hold our leaders accountable, the status quo and those who profit from it will continue. Like so many of our large challenges it won't be easy and it will take time; but we have both chosen to live with this and could choose to stop it. It does not have to be this way.