“Can we, can we get along?”

Humans+fear+hate+guns= nothing good

Enough already. Enough with the finger-pointing, the vitriol, and the partisan nonsense. Enough. Gun violence and mental illness are just two sides of a die that also includes fear, isolation, loss of control, distrust of authorities (e.g. government, media, law enforcement), and a devaluation of individual human lives.

So far in 2023, there have been 208 reported mass shootings in the US. To be classified as a mass shooting, there must be at least four casualties (injured and/or killed). Gun Violence Archive (GVA) maps show that mass shootings generally occur in cities: Greater Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Raleigh, Columbus, Metropolitan Dallas, Memphis, New Orleans, and California’s South Bay. The first mass shooting reported in 2023 was at a bar in Columbus, OH when an argument escalated in a group of men leading to one man being killed, four injured, and two taken into custody. The most recent as of this writing was a shootout at a house party in Adelanto, CA that included “back and forth gunfire,” two guns, five people injured, and two people dead, including a 14-year-old girl.

At least half of the reported events occurred at parties and bars. Several were identified as gang and drug-related; others were domestic disputes and disgruntled employees. Many have no…