A belated Valentine’s day thought
Work vs. labor
Mass killings are not all the same; consider the Lost Boys
mass shootings
Everyone I know is against STDs (Sexually transmitted diseases). I haven’t heard anyone say the solution is to ban sex. Instead, most health specialists advocate “safe sex.” When it comes to guns, however, this rationality is lost. We’re either categorically in favor or against, with some focusing on gun safety. So, how would you make a safer gun?
With every horrific mass shooting, the media and the politicians bring out the same tired facts and solutions. While research into gun violence has been deliberately dampened [1], there are studies that help us to characterize gun violence. As mythical police officer Sgt. Joe Friday said, “Just the facts, ma’am.”
Mass homicides are horrific tragedies. Society must do whatever's possible to understand them fully, so as to prevent them. But people also need to separate the data from the myths and the social, political and moral narratives that often form around crime.
The point isn't to scare people about accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, which kills, on average, 374 people per year. Given our population of 319 million, that's a minor threat. Instead, this is to show that the chaotic stuff that makes the nightly newscasts is far less likely to kill you than boring, everyday things.