Macabre killings, yet US won't curb gun use

Guy Schwartz, a father of two, from Texas where 19 children and two teachers had been gunned down recently in Uvalde did not blame the gun. He rather pinned it on several things including stress and mental illness etc. There were several others, including several lifelong members of the National Rifle Association and even office-bearers who gathered at Texas just three days after the tragedy – Donald Trump being one of the speakers – to defend guns and the gun culture. They all were there to defend the Second Amendment to the Constitution. They were just 250 miles east of the site where all children, all 10 years old or younger, were gunned down by an 18-year-old with two legally purchased assault rifles. For such Americans as these who defend the gun culture in the US, the blame should be attributed to a broader breakdown in society "wrought by the removal of God from public schools, the decline of two-parent households, a perceived leniency toward criminals, social media and an increase in mental illness."

The Second Amendment that these guys seek to defend says: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." In just twenty-seven words, the Second Amendment solidifies one of America's most fundamental freedoms — the right to keep and bear arms. But what is the Second Amendment? And how does it protect you as an American? Here are the facts. In short, the Second Amendment states that as an American citizen, you have the individual right to arm yourself. The amendment also firmly establishes that the government cannot infringe on that right.

The Second Amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791, as one of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights expanded upon the Constitution by establishing clear individual rights, limiting the government's power, and further laying the foundation of American freedom. Today, the Second Amendment remains fundamental to protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Five years ago, just under 4,000 children and teens up to the age of 17 were killed or injured by gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive. By the end of last year, that number was up 43% to 5,692. Some 1,560 of these children and teenagers died. So far in 2022, at least 675 children and teens in the US have been killed by guns. Another 1,624 children and teens have been injured by firearms, according to the archive. Pew Research states that 45,222 people died from gun related injuries in 2020.

Nearly eight-in-ten US murders in 2020 involved a firearm. Alas, Americans speak of life, liberty and freedom! A country that respects death and not life naturally embraces gun culture. It may be noted that the aforementioned statistics do not reflect the true numbers as the FBI statistics do not capture the details on all gun murders. It is just based on voluntary submissions by the police departments around the country. It is known that no tall agencies provide complete information. Americans shy away from calling it genocide, but that is it in reality. This is what we call 'Agami Karma' (what you do in the present moment determines what unfolds in the next).