It seems that every day that I pick up a newspaper or see a report on TV, there is a shooting somewhere in the Triangle. The records for homicides in 2023 are:

• 56 Raleigh
• 49 Durham
• 876 North Carolina

The records of deaths from gun violence in the United States is 46, 628. That includes about 27 thousand suicides and 19,000 homicides. Considering that there are 393 million guns out on the streets, it is remarkable that we don’t have even more violence.

Mass shootings and guns in the schools get most of the media attention, but the individual shootings add most of the numbers.

About 81 million people are registered gun owners, most of whom own more than one gun.

In the ghettos of poverty in this nation, reaching for a gun is the most common way to settle a dispute. It doesn’t matter if it’s gangs, robberies, drug wars, or bar fights.

We have background checks on gun sales with licensed dealers, but they do not apply in private sales. We had a ban for a decade on the sale of assault weapons, but it was allowed to expire in 2004 and the deaths shot up. Political pressure has prevented reinstating the ban.

Gun safety in the home is an issue that is often overlooked. Training was the primarily objectives of the National Rifle Association originally. Accidents occur, but guns contribute more to suicides.

In some states, temporary restrictions on guns may be applicable in cases of domestic disputes, addictions, and mental illness. These are called “At risk” laws. No one is proposing any other restrictions on the use of guns. Some localities used to restrict carrying guns in bars, schools, and public events, but those restrictions are disappearing.

People misquote the 2nd Amendment, which declared the right to bear arms for the 18th Century equivalent of the National Guard. That was in response to when British troops were forcibly placed in American homes.

The NRA response is that guns don’t kill, people do. But the ready access to guns provides the opportunities for accidents and/or murder. The truth is that young people today are more likely to die as the result of gun violence than in an automobile accident.

Fortifying our schools to make them protected from assault is not the solution. Restricting access may be necessary, but arming teachers only adds to the risks. Armed officers also have limits as was the example in Uvalde, Texas. There is something seriously wrong with America when parents worry about the safety of their children when they send them to school.

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