After 3 Mass Shootings, a Thanksgiving With 14 Empty Chairs

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Nov. 24, 2022Updated 11:07 a.m. ET

A janitor working his shift at a Virginia Walmart. A 40-year-old woman returning home to Colorado Springs for the holidays. A young man at his girlfriend’s side, watching her friend perform in a drag show.

Three college football players. A mother who worked to help foster children. One bartender who remembered your drink and another who danced.

White and Black, gay and straight, old and young. The collection of the newly dead from just three of this month’s mass shootings are the very picture of the ideals — inclusivity, setting aside differences — that America prides itself on at this time each November. Fourteen people who did not know their last Thanksgiving was already behind them.

Tuesday’s rampage, in which six people were killed in a Walmart in Chesapeake, Va., was the 33rd mass shooting in November alone, and the nation’s 606th this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

More at link

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/24/nyregion/shootings-virginia-walmart-club-q-thanksgiving.html

[rurallib]

1. In every mass shooting there are most likely survivors who will

bear scars for the rest of their lives. It may be mental problems, it may be physical problems.
Plus there are family and friends who will have to shoulder the care of the victims that didn't die.
And of course there are family and friend of those who did die who can never forget.
For each victim, dead or alive, there is a network of family and friends scarred by the action of some - let's call them terrorist.

I do not know why our gutless congress can't adopt some insurance requirements tied to gun ownership.
Let people have their guns, but make them financially responsible for what is done with them.

[bronxiteforever]

2. +100 Absolutely

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

3. The deep pockets of the gun lobby and their influence over the low IQ voter

makes any sort of gun control a difficult goal.

[rurallib]

4. I don't think of making owners financially responsible for their guns

as "control" any more than car insurance is automobile control.

If owners are responsible financially they might demand things like print readers so only they can use their guns.

Call me a dreamer.

[Rural_Progressive]

9. How about you commit a crime with a gun

and you are gone for good and not the fun kind of lock up. No TV, no phone, no exercise yard with the guys, you are gone PERIOD. Might not stop everybody but it would sure give a lot of would be gun nuts reason to pause and reconsider

[littlemissmartypants]

10. I deeply believe that we are all traumatized by these shootings.

Our collective society is under siege. If a person isn't touched by these events they are deranged and/or are manifesting antisocial personality disorder. In other words, very sick and possibly a danger to society.

How many of us here haven't started to rethink our societal interactions?

I have read at least one thread today discussing the safest times to go shopping. We consider adjusting our activities based on gun violence not just because we are fearful. We are traumatized.

Because of the frequently repeated trauma, we are unable to think critically. We're unable to conclude that it's the weapons that are the ultimate problem.

It's not the visit to the store, bar, club, synagogue, church, school, college, Post Office, restaurant ball game, party, park, street, gas station, spa, apartment, nail salon, rest stop, deli, apartment, strip club, home or in a drive by. And that's not an entirely inclusive list of actual places where these crimes occur.

We have to start thinking critically and behave differently or this will only get worse. But how much worse can it be?

I've had enough. It's time for letters, phone calls and promises to those in power who refuse to see the need for change. They need to deeply understand that they will be voted out if they refuse to listen and act accordingly.

If we can't vote them out then they need to know that we will hound them into their graves until they do something monumental to protect the people of our society.

We can refuse to live like this and we should make our refusal known and make it loud, united and crystal clear.

Enough is enough.

❤️ pants

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

13. +1000

[I_UndergroundPanther]

14. I was talking with

The driver of our van and another client about mass shootings,we all were lamenting about it. We started to talk about how could we avoid getting shot,offering each other ideas like where
To hide. Putting 911 on favorites or speed dial where you just press 1 number and it dials automatically. Its terrible we have to think of contingencies like this.Its no longer safe in this country.

[littlemissmartypants]

15. ❤️

[I_UndergroundPanther]

20. Thanks for the hug

[littlemissmartypants]

22. Thank you. ❤️

[I_UndergroundPanther]

19. Agree we are traumatized

And our culture is incredibly toxic.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. A couple of months ago...

My 25 year old son and a couple of friends went to a movie in Tallahassee, FL. As they were exiting the theater someone shouted, "shooter!" and they heard some popping sounds.

People screamed and everyone scattered, froze, or dropped to the ground. They're was no obvious shooter to rush or hide from. Just chaos. Turned out to be some dumbass teenagers thinking it would be funny.

My son's takeaway? "Mom, I learned what I would instinctively do in a live shooter incident. I was able to run. I didn't freeze."

My blood ran ice cold. At 25 this would never have crossed my mind.

[niyad]

5. According to anotherr group, it was 652nd. we have been averaging two a day

so far this year.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

7. One is too many.

[multigraincracker]

6. Welcome to America. A

2nd Amendment Sh!t hole nation.

[Wounded Bear]

8. 14 only counts the fatalities. There are more who are still in the hospital...nt

[bdamomma]

12. Horrible

a total disregard for life, hate kills.

[ShazzieB]

16. God almighty. No wonder the rest of the world thinks this country is nucking futs.

They're not wrong, either. And the craziest part of all? All those people sitting in a burning building saying "This is fine" think we're the crazy ones.

If wanting to get military-style assault weapons off the streets and out of the hands of civilians is crazy, I don't want to be sane.

[Demovictory9]

17. Sad

[lambchopp59]

18. "Free speech" confabulating on RW media's part

Needs to become expensive, very, very expensive "free speech" any time these loud mouths are inciting violence.
They can't claim censorship if they're allowed, but also must face lawsuit consequences for their rhetoric.
Plainly as the day is long, that pinheaded Colorado Springs terrorist was incited, motivated, angered and driven to terrorism by all this "groomer" shit bouncing all around the RW echo chambers. I don't know who started all that Nazi bullshit but it's time they got named in enough class action suits to make their bow tied heads spin.

[Initech]

21. And we'll keep having the same circular firing squad arguments about guns...

Until we’re blue in the face. Nothing will get done, and conservatives will do every attempt to go into “Nothing to see here! Please disperse!” mode and will actually make things worse because of 2A absolutionism. Fuck I’m so tired of this shit.