From Brown to Bondi: two shootings, one big difference
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| From Kaiser Family Report “Child and Teen Firearm Mortality in the U.S. and Peer Countries” |
What strikes one first off is that is that the Australian slaughter was an anomaly. The shooting at Brown University is almost now a social ritual.
The one has prompted the national government to discuss enacting even stronger legislation(1) to limit who gets to own guns. The other tragedy has prompted the national government to do nothing. ‘Thoughts and prayers” from elected officials in the back pockets (oh, who am I kidding? front pockets, too) of the gun lobby are likewise meaningless, compounded by anti-public healthcare legislation at almost every turn, a Presidential Regime that could care less about whether the non-rich live or die, a complicit Supreme Court and Congress, and a vocal ultra-Right Wing cabal of dunderheads who scream about violations to the Second Amendment and that the government is going to take their guns away. Bitch, please.
Some opponents of gun control will point to the slight decline in 2025 of mass killings in the US as a sign we don’t need more gun legislation (like we have any of significance), but this is, according to experts (and anyone who’s lived here) suggest, this represents a lull.(2) But that’s mass killings. The US ranked 5th in gun homicide rates per the UN’s 2023 report cited in the World Population Review (3). And looking at the data, you might say, “well, 4.42 deaths per 100,000 isn’t all that bad” or you might say, “huh, 15,186 deaths that year doesn’t seem so bad…at least, we’re not Mexico, amiright?”. No, you’re not. From Albania down, not other country comes close to our annual slaughterfest and while we lag behind Jamaica, Ecuador, Honuras, Belize, and Mexico, there are obvious reasons for their ongoing issues, many of which could be traced back to American foreign policy, but I don’t want to digress.
The bottom line is that we tout ourselves as a just, fair nation (or we did, at one time) and that we genuinely cared about our mutual well-being. Hence, our great healthcare system and that gun deaths are the leading cause of death among children, ages 1 to 17 (4, 6). “The United States has by far the highest rate of child and teen firearm mortality among peer nations. In no other similarly large, wealthy country are firearms in the top four causes of death for children and teens, let alone the number one cause. U.S. states with the most gun laws have lower rates than states with few gun laws. But, even states with the lowest child and teen firearm deaths have rates much higher than what peer countries experience.”(5). Emphasis is mine.
Usually, after I’ve presented facts and figures, I offer solutions, organizations to join, and other resources. I will do that, again, shortly. However, before I do, I want everyone to consider actually DOING just that. Actually lobby for stricter controls and legislation. Actually join a group or at least kick in a few bucks to support a group fighting for stricter legislation.
We know what to do. I don’t need to write a whole Stuff2Do entry about this. Yes, call/mail/email your representatives, particularly or especially if you live in a Republican-led state. Even if you don’t, call representatives in one and ask why they hate their constituents so much that they can’t enact or even vote for gun control. I do this along with my other harangues, but not often enough.
We have a plethora of shit wrong with us. I spell it out on a regular basis. Others do, too. I know there are a number of you who think it’s just alarmist and that things aren’t so bad or even getting better. Not only do we disagree, statistics prove otherwise, and I think, deep in your heart, you know that’s not so; we are living in the one of the darkest, if not the darkest period of the republic. If we want to stave off even worse darkness, we will do it by looking after each other. This isn’t a partisan thing; I believe most people really do want to help others, regardless of party, religion, background. We can start by ensuring that more kids don’t die by guns. We can start by ensuring that schools, colleges, universities, and beach parties aren’t subject to slaughter because someone had easy access to firearms used for wholesale war.
Look, I come from gun country and target practice used to be fun when I was a kid, but there was not this phallus worship so many engage in nowadays. The stakes are higher than ever and even if there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that, say, the legislature in Texas will ever pass legitimate gun laws, we still have to keep at it. They know how people feel by the number of calls, emails, and letters they get. They know how popular (or not) their legislation is. That’s why they gerrymander. That’s why they push for greater control over cities that vote Democrat. I think I can say the same is true for all so-called Red States. They know their policies are hateful and serve only the few (very often wealthy and white folk).
So don’t give up, don’t quit doing what you can, where you can, as you can. We look out for each other.
Gun Legislation Resources
And more here: Visioning Beyond Violence: 10 Nonprofits Tackling Gun Violence
Call/Email/Write your elected representatives:
Addendum:
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For a broader look and additional context, see |
Notes
- Whiteman.
- Boone.
- Mass Shootings by Country 2025.
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
- McGough, et al.
Sources
Boone, Rebecca. US mass killings are down in 2025, but experts say it’s likely just a return to more typical levels. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/mass-shootings-killings-murder-trends-california-birthday-23593254d7282c2e028af55af7bf2b6c. December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. New Report Highlights U.S. 2022 Gun-Related Deaths: Firearms Remain Leading Cause of Death for Children and Teens, and Disproportionately Affect People of Color. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/guns-remain-leading-cause-of-death-for-children-and-teens. September 12, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
Mass Shootings by Country 2025. World Population Review. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gun-deaths-by-country. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
McGough, Matt; Panchal, Nirmita; Cox, Cynthia; Amin, Krutika. Child and Teen Firearm Mortality in the U.S. and Peer Countries. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). https://www.kff.org/mental-health/child-and-teen-firearm-mortality-in-the-u-s-and-peer-countries/ . July 18, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2025. PDF at academic web.nd.edu.
Whiteman, Hilary. Australia’s gun laws were already among the world’s toughest. The Bondi massacre could spark even tighter controls. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/14/australia/australia-bondi-shooting-gun-laws-hnk-intl. December 15, 2025.
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