Another mass shooting in the US. 5 injured, 3 killed at Michigan State University. Unbelievable. But yet believable. Just because we have the right to own firearms doesn’t mean everyone should have them. Some folks just aren’t responsible enough, some have mental illnesses, some…well, some have bad intentions. Some don’t have problem solving skills. Ugh.

There are far too many deaths and injuries in this country (USA) by gun violence. Not counting suicides or accidents, mass shootings are more prevalent than you might think. Some are not reported by the media – if they were then there would be at least one reported almost every day!

A mass shooting as defined by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter. Do you know how many mass shootings there have been just in January of this year? Take a look below:

January 1, 2023

Allentown, PA 0 deaths, 4 injured
Durham, NC 0 deaths, 5 injured
Miami Gardens, FL 0 deaths, 9 injured
Chicago, IL 1 death, 3 injured
Ocaia, FL 2 deaths, 4 injured
Columbus, OH 1 death, 4 injured

January, 3, 2023

New Orleans, LA 0 deaths, 5 injured
Washington, District of Columbia 1 death, 3 injured

January 4

Baltimore, MD 1 death, 4 injured
Dumfries, VA 1 death, 4 injured
Cedar City, UT 8 deaths, 0 injured

January 5

Miami Gardens, FL 0 deaths, 10 injured
New Orleans, LA 2 deaths, 3 injured

January 6

San Francisco, CA 1 death, 3 injured
Dallas, TX 3 deaths, 2 injured

January 7

High Point, NC 5 deaths, 0 injured
Huntsville, AL 2 deaths, 9 injured

January 8

Albany, GA 0 deaths, 4 injured
Minneapolis, MN 0 deaths, 4 injured

January 9

Denver, CO 0 deaths, 4 injured
Philadelphia, PA 3 deaths, 1 injured
Minneapolis, MN 0 deaths, 4 injured

January 13

Cleveland, OH 4 deaths, 1 injured

January 14

St. Louis, MO 0 deaths, 4 injured

January 15

Phoenix, AZ 0 deaths, 4 injured
Homestead, FL 1 death, 3 injured
Houston, TX 1 death, 4 injured
Rockford, IL 3 deaths, 2 injured

January 16

Sanford, FL 1 death, 5 injured
Goshen, CA 6 deaths, 0 injured
Fort Pierce, FL 1 death, 7 injured

January 17

Houston, TX 0 deaths, 4 injured

January 21

Monterey Park, CA 12 deaths, 9 injured

January 22

Shreveport, LA 1 death, 7 injured
Baton Rouge, LA 0 deaths, 12 injured
Robinsonville, MS 0 deaths, 4 injured

January 23

Half Moon Bay, CA 7 deaths, 1 injured
Chicago, IL 2 deaths, 3 injured
Oakland, CA 1 death, 4 injured

January 24

Red Springs, NC 3 deaths, 1 injured

January 26

Lancaster, PA 0 deaths, 4 injured
Newark, New Jersey 1 death, 4 injured

January 27

San Diego, CA 1 death, 3 injured

January 28

Austin, TX 1 death, 4 injured
Philadelphia, PA 0 deaths,4 injured
Beverly Hills, CA 3 deaths, 4 injured
Andrews, SC 2 deaths, 2 injured

January 29

Greensboro, NC 1 death, 6 injured
Columbus, OH 1 death, 3 injured

January 30

Lakeland, FL 0 deaths, 10 injured
Dallas, TX 1 death, 3 injured

January 31

Durham, NC 2 deaths, 2 injured

Source: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

Still think there’s no problem?

Think of all the innocent people, young and old alike, who have been killed. Those who should still be enjoying their lives, loving their families, laughing, vacationing, etc.. who are no longer able to do so. It’s depressing. It’s frightening! It could happen to any of us. You could be at your local grocery store or Walmart, or your kids could be at school when in comes a guy with a firearm.

Some people think carrying a firearm will protect them. They think a “good guy with a gun will stop the bad guy with a gun.” Ha. Seriously? How the hell do you distinguish between a good guy and a bad guy if they’re all shooting guns? If you’re in Walmart, for example, and there’s an active shooter. You can’t see him so you don’t know exactly where he is in the store. All of a sudden, you see a guy with a gun. He’s actually a good guy trying to stop the bad guy but you don’t know that. You think he’s the bad guy! You pull your firearm and shoot him. You’ve just killed the good guy. See what I mean? When the police come in they shoot you because you have a gun. They don’t know who’s who either. 

I don’t claim to know the solution to this problem but I do know that something needs to be done. I think we can do better. We need to put aside the mentality of “it’s my right” and do what’s right instead. Anything we do that reduces deaths and injuries by firearms is a step in the right direction.