Society must change if killings are going to stop

ENOUGH IS enough! I am writing about the crisis in America from mass shootings, not only the 26 gunned down in Sutherland, Texas, and the 58 shot dead in Las Vegas. But I also write for the 20 children and six adults killed in Sandy Hook, the 12 killed in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., the 12 students and teacher killed in Columbine, Colo., and on and on.

The problem, as analyzed carefully by Max Fisher and Josh Keller in the New York Times, Nov. 7. The article, “What Explains U.S. Mass Shootings?” centers on the 270 million guns we have in America. According to the authors, this fact alone separates us from all other countries in the world. And the number of guns available to Americans is enhanced by a culture that allows and encourages guns as a status symbol, a symbol of power and of manhood.

To reduce the killings both the number of guns available and the culture of our society must change. Not easy. Australia did it in 1996 after a mass killing of 35 in Port Arthur. Enough was enough!

To reduce the number of guns, we must ban all assault weapons with the only exception for military, ban all large capacity magazines with the only exception for military and require every gun owner to be trained and licensed, just as all drivers are licensed.

Changing the American culture that glorifies guns is the more difficult task. When my children were young and they misbehaved, I often yelled, ”That is not acceptable.” It is time for Americans to yell loud and clear, “The culture of gun violence is not acceptable!” It is unacceptable to me and should be to every American.

Movies, games, clothing, songs, jokes, media stories, twitter, rap, etc., that promote or in any way glorify gun violence must become unacceptable. America does not need to tolerate the worst gun violence statistics in the world. Join me. Tell our president, our congressmen, our governor and legislators and everyone you know. Enough is enough! NINA THAYER Los Alamos