Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
Eh, I guess so. But as far as the U.S. is concerned, despite mass shootings capturing the headlines, the U.S., on whole, is a safer place now (or as of 2017 data) than it was 25 years ago. I mean, the U.S. is a huge and diverse country. If you're a tourist traveling to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam, I'd say that you're pretty darn safe. But if you want to take a tour of East L.A. or South Central (ever wondered what a Crip, Blood or Mexican Mafia gangsta looks like?), yeah... good chance you might die. And if you're just wanting to take a walk in an average touristy area in the average U.S. city or town, you're likely in no more danger now than you would have been 25 years ago.
I read a study a few years ago about how the media could make the general population think that certain issues were a major concern, when really, in relative terms, they weren't. The study used shark attacks as an example. There was a series of back to back shark attacks over a relatively short period of time several years ago. And the pop-media hyped the attacks on the nightly news. So, the sheeple were up in arms about what to do about these monsters of the deep snatching people as they swam or surfed. The truth was, the actual number of deaths that year from shark attacks was no higher than it had been in years prior. The fact was (and is), the average person had a much greater chance of being struck by lightning or drowning in their bath tub than dying or being maimed by a shark.
I'm not saying that these mass shootings aren't an issue - they are. But to further reduce violent crime (and non-violent) crime rates, I think that politicians (the ones who aren't just looking to grandstand so they can ring up votes) should look at actual (not just politically correct) root causes and come up with effective counter-measures. And for goodness sake, if part of the solution involves gun control measures, get people involved who can actually speak intelligently on the issue. Ignore people like Bloomberg and nitwits who say silly things (like you can legally buy machine guns in department stores or a rifle with a bayonet lug is more deadly or dangerous than a semi-auto hunting rifle). Most gun related crimes are committed with standard, non-exotic handguns - not "assault weapons", not machine guns, etc. So in order to make a real difference, you don't need to be an expert in Pareto to know that that's where you'd put the majority of your focus.
But that's just my 2 cents. The old adage, "when in danger, when in doubt... run in circles, scream and shout", is what seems to be the course of action that people prefer these days.
