From Rome, Pope Francis took notice of the shootings in El Paso and Dayton on Aug.Religious leaders cry out but few listen. No matter how horrible something is, if it is repeated time and time again, we get accustomed to it.
I am afraid that others may soon respond to mass shootings that same way I do, the same way we do to other gun violence - ignore it and move on.
And gun suicides, spousal shootings, and accidents are so common that even white victims are ignored unless a child is involved. Gun violence is common in most inner cities, but it gets little coverage in newspapers read by the white community. Nothing shocks us enough to make us demand change.Īnd yet, mass shootings are only a minor contributor to the deaths from gun violence. It doesn't matter where the shooting takes place - gay bar, church, primary school, university, shopping center, baseball game or on the street. We move on to other news until the next shooting. Nothing changes, except people buy more guns. News stories about mass shootings always follow the same 10-point template: 1) initial confusion about what happened 2) onsite interviews with those who escaped the scene 3) talking heads speculate about the motive of the gunman 4) a press conference by police chief and mayor 5) calls for greater gun control from Democrats 6) calls for thoughts and prayers from Republicans 7) a Trump tweet 8) more speculation on motive of gunman 9) coverage of funerals 10) interviews with victims' families.