The aftermath of a horrific mass shooting is not the time one would usually turn to a humor site, and yet, The Onion had an insightful take on Uvalde. The headline: “‘No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.” Here’s the kicker: The Onion has run pieces with that same headline for years.
Our mass shooting problem — there have been an average of two per month for the past eight years — arises from a familiar stew of history, culture, law and commerce. Certain facts loom large. Yes, mass shootings represent a small fraction of gun deaths in America. Yes, the Second Amendment makes limiting guns more difficult here than in Canada, Australia or other places. Those are big, hulking obstacles. But there are other assumptions that are trotted out regularly that are less daunting than they appear.
