What Is The Matter With Us?

From Helpless in the Face of Madness by Bob Herbert:

What is the matter with us? Are we really helpless in the face of the astounding toll that guns take on this society?

More than 30,000 people die from gunfire every year. Another 66,000 or so are wounded, which means that nearly 100,000 men, women and children are shot in the United States annually. Have we really become so impotent as a society, so pathetically fearful in the face of the extremists, that we can’t even take the most modest of steps to begin curbing this horror?

Where is the leadership? We know who’s on the side of the gun crazies. Where is the leadership on the side of sanity?

Mr. Herbert, I agree with you and ask the same questions. Many Americans, however, see this issue in a way that is completely reversed from how you present it. To them gun control is crazy, and the sane solution is more guns, not less. This is a big part of what is the matter with us.

Where is the leadership on the side of sanity? Well, The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is one starting point. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is another. Send them some money if you want to support them. I agree that we are facing madness, however, I like to think that we are not helpless.