Las Vegas and The Gun Culture of America.

It's simpler than we make it out to be at times.

Stop the selling and increase the illegality and penalties of semi automatic weapons that can be made into what happened last night. 

If you want less mass gun deaths do something.

Otherwise be content, for this is normal in America today.

Yes it's sad. 

Yes it makes me angry. 

But when push comes to shove no one ever really addresses the gun industry or the how we currently handle gun laws in this Country.
 

Guns and weaponry are largely celebrated here in America.  They are thought of as a way to birth our freedom.  A way to exert dominance.  Some are taught that we need guns to defend ourselves.  That the best defense against a gun is another gun. 

I would argue that if someone jumps you with a gun that you are likely dead no matter what.  In fact whoever shoots first is almost certain to be alive longer than the person who has to react.  Hand guns and semi automatic weapons (that allegedly a 64 year old man easily turned into an automatic weapon) have enormous killing potential, typically greater due to the ease of which one can conceal hand weapons and the incredible rate of ballistic discharge and magazine depth of more militarized weapons.

If you want events like this to stop ask those elected officials to do something rather than just hoping.  Stop encouraging fear and gun ownership.  Start encouraging a closer and thoughtful regulation to weapons industry. 

And for the love of humanity stop being so scared of one another, angry at one another, that you feel motivated towards  violence.  Go for a run. Go be creative.  Go to work or to school and represent yourself to your best.  

I have no personal use for a firearm.  Zero.  However I'm sympathetic on some level to hunters who might be doing the environment a favor to curb certain populations and the usage of the meat and hide of wildlife.   I'm also sympathetic to those that might rely on CERTAIN weapons for personal defense because of their reasoned fear of their environment or circumstances.

I believe we can build restrictions while protecting those groups I sympathize with. 

That we can limit the public's access to deadly weapons while still leaving the public with viable defenses from intruders and low level criminality. 

If we really want events like Las Vegas or Sandy Hook or Columbine to ever truly stop or slow we need to actually do something about our access to the weapons that have the easiest and greatest capacity to harm.

IF you feel similar to me, do what I've done.  Share this with your elected officials in any way you can.  (I'm sending this to my Conservative Senators and I await any kind of thoughtful conversation on the issue.)  Speak to them.  Make your voices heard.  If not, stay silent, and let the death toll continue to climb.