Weak Gun Laws Correlate with Higher Children Gun-related Death Rate

With another mass shooting in an elementary school, again and again, thoughts and prayers are sent. Again and again, however, we hear the same excuses that only obfuscate our discussions. Mental health is a favorite red herring although studies are clear on this issue: Mental health does not correlate with the number of mass shootings. Every country in the world has its share of problems with mental health but only the United States is exceptional when it comes to the killing of children in their schools with assault rifles. Some argue that more guns in the hands of good people make a society safer. With 400 million guns and a population of about 330 million, there is more than enough firepower for everyone. And it is utterly wishful thinking to suggest that everyone in the United States is good. These tragic incidents require not just our thoughts and prayers, but more importantly, well-informed changes in our policies. Research shows that there is one factor that correlates well with the number of firearm-related children deaths. That factor is weak gun legislation. A 2019 publication in the journal Pediatrics shows this correlation:

A senator gets it:

But do the people get it? We vote the people who currently represent us in government. This is our choice. Thoughts and prayers are not going to change things if we ourselves do not take the choices we make seriously.