The shooting club originated in the northeastern state of Connecticut at the bend of a wooded road. of the United States of America where was he born arms industry in the XIX century. It was a Tuesday during business hours. There were only two men in the buckets to be shot at. Someone polishing the barrel as if someone were rubbing his back, nodding to see the shine of those black steel tendons, hesitantly cleaned the gun meticulously. a AR-15civilian version m16 Assault Rifle, used in all american wars since Vietnamese. The man explained how to use the guns safely, how he kept them at home. protect your familywhy you are an important military man NRA or why candidates’ attitude to their weapons will determine their vote during the election period. For this man from the suburbs of America, guns on Tuesdays and Thursdays were not just a distraction, they were an important part of who he was. an important part of their identity.
There are millions of Americans like him. A 42% of the population the country says guns at homeAccording to Gallup, it’s nine points less than it was in 1995. 54% tend to vote RepublicanCompared to the 31% leaning towards Democrats. there are more guns rural areas than urban ones. among more of men that women. More southern than west or northwest. And definitely The most armed white man of all races, according to another Pew Center survey. “When people were asked why they had guns in the 1970s, hunting and shooting were their main motivations,” explains Phillip Cook, a Duke University professor and author of several books on the subject. “This has completely changed. Today self defense against crime although the main motivation is an important sector that owns them, protection from tyranny, to be able to face the government. It’s not the best-selling shotguns anymore, it’s pistols. Today, people buy guns to use against others,” adds Cook.
More than 110 dead every day
this mass shootingsAlthough they are terrible, they are not America’s main problem. And the latter is particularly vile. Inside buffalo (New York), a racist massacre in a supermarket. Inside Uvalde, TexasThe heaviest of crimes of a species that kills to its fullest, 19 elementary school children and two teachers were shot to death. The real problem, 41,000 people are shot to death every year (including suicides), most St. Louis, Detroit, New Orleans, or poor neighborhoods in Cleveland. More than 110 people every day.
Their deaths only local news. At the nationals, only when it breaks trending records. But the media gets tired quickly, giving it up for a lost cause. Racismurbanism, povertyEducation, Servicesmedicines, violence. Too much to explain, too much to unravel. More morbidly fascinating are the mass shootings. Those with more than 4 deaths by standard FBI definition with an average 19 per year since 2009According to Everytown for Gun Safety.
inactivity in Washington
But no matter how bloody the massacres are, Nothing has changed in Washingtonwhere republic right It has been blocking an important reform for years. In states – depending on who rules – only laws are tightened or relaxed.
tends to be considered. conservative inaction is a product The money they get from the NRA (National Rifle Association), the powerful gun lobby that serves as a cover for the interests of the industry, is the same as it celebrated this weekend. annual convention in houston, just a few hundred kilometers from the Uvalde massacre. owner 4.5 million affiliates and 12 million more who sympathize with their cause. But the truth is NRA contributions According to an analysis by ‘The Washington Post’, they represent less than 0.5% of the money they raise to their respective candidates.
“If Republicans oppose gun control, it’s because conservative identity NBC News cultural critic Noah Berlatsky wrote in 2019. A cocktail shaker including opposition to abortion, low taxes or defense fossil fuels. “Identity is a deeper motive than money and more irreconcilable for those who want to end gun violence.” Take a look at the announcements made for the November elections. More than a hundred Republican candidates talk about guns in their districts, appear to shoot, or brag about their ties to the industry.
Weapons as a sign of republican identity
“I I believe in Jesus, guns and babiesSaid the candidate for governor of Georgia. “Babies, borders and bullets. Conservative values, values we stand for,” highlighted one enthusiastic Arkansas senator. It wasn’t always like this. During sixties There was considerable right-wing support for gun control, especially as its aim was to disarm. black militancygroups like black panthers advocating the armed revolution. ronald reaganthe quintessential conservative hero passed laws against guns while he was governor of California.
But in 1977 everything started to change. Riot at NRA’s Cincinnati conventionwhen radicals took control of a hitherto relatively loose organization. Any move backwards was considered a defeat for the confiscation of the 390 million guns currently in the country. this paranoia, extremism and populism gradually began to dominate the organization, incorporating other elements such as demonization of immigrants, humiliation for liberal elites or racism against blacks.
Some identity features Republican Party he finally did his own thing. “Republicans learned it was a win-win for them and basically sealed their marriage with the NRA,” Cook says. it succeeded it’s almost impossible to legislate against guns in Washington. Democrats will need 60 votes in the Senate, an arithmetic that doesn’t exist. So this time, the discussion is over before it even starts.
Source: Informacion
