THE AMERICAN WAY

The NY Times' Bob Hebert has an interesting piece on our gun culture and our lives as Americans within that culture. Here's a snippet:

... Since Sept. 11, 2001, when the country’s attention understandably turned to terrorism, nearly 120,000 Americans have been killed in nonterror homicides, most of them committed with guns. Think about it — 120,000 dead. That’s nearly 25 times the number of Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan ...

... Murderous gunfire claims many more victims than those who are actually felled by the bullets. But all the expressions of horror at the violence and pity for the dead and those who loved them ring hollow in a society that is neither mature nor civilized enough to do anything about it.

While there's plenty of ancedotal evidence, it's more pensive than informational. If you get the time, it's worth the read.

- Mark