Active Shooting Our New Norm

Last month I was being interviewed by a Canadian news station shortly after the Highland Park, Illinois Fourth of July Parade active shooting, when the news anchor asked the question, “Is active shooting the new norm that America must live with for the future?” My response was, “No, this is not our future. This will not be our norm. We will find a way to curb these horrific attacks. We must.” That is my hope and desire for this great country. However, the underlying question remains, “How will we, as a nation, curb these deadly attacks if we are so divided as a country?” Politically we are divided on view of gun control. Even that is the wrong way to look at the problem. We should consider “Solutions” and apply critical thinking to save lives, remove the fear of being swept up in an active or mass shooting once we leave our homes, while still maintaining our constitutional rights? These are not the questions of our generation; they are the questions for all current and future generations, with one undeniable goal, “Stop active and mass shootings.”

To fully understand what the number of active and mass shootings means as a nation,

consider how the U.S. is view by foreign countries and even our neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico. Bottomline we are a violent country. A country without effective laws and enforcement to stop these horrific attacks. We viewed as a lawless nation that has not significantly removed itself from the violence, lawlessness, and images of the “Old West”.

These statements are hard to dispute, especially if the murder rate is skyrocketing. According to Macrotrends on their website under U.S. Murder/Homicide Rate 1990 – 2020, the murder rate in 2020 increased 28.64% over 2019, with a murder/homicide rate of 6.52 persons per 100,000 people. On April 28, 2022, John Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions indicated, 45,222 were killed with guns in the U.S. in 2020. This highest number of gun deaths ever in the U.S. during the modern era. This total reflects an increase of 35% over 2019. Gun Violence Archive indicated in 2021 there were 692 mass shootings compared to 610 mass shootings in 2020 and 417 mass shootings in 2019.

Now we have the statistics to support the belief and perceptions of foreign countries. So, how do we, as a nation, alter the increasing gun violence throughout the United States? We have seen the pain experienced by families, relatives, friends, coworkers, cities, communities, and states. We are questioning if active and mass shootings will alter our daily life and the choices we make for fun, work, entertainment, and life in general.

Right now, is the time for critical thinking and solutions, not for a failure of imagination or a failure to intervene, but action, otherwise we will accept active and mass shootings as the new norm. What do you think we should do? Let me know your thoughts.