I'd genuinely love for you to explain to me why this is. Truly. I always appreciate your takes, especially when we disagree, but this is completely beyond me. I'm not even interested in blaming this on the Republicans. Note that I didn't make this a Left vs Right issue in the article. I did that on purpose.

It seems people who make the arguments you're making can't see past the idea that reducing the number of mass shooting in America is a worthy aim. Even if it doesn't end shootings completely. And yes, everybody does know how to do that. As I said, every single developed nation in the world is modelling a blueprint for how to do it.

You really want to end mass shootings? Copy Japan or the UK or many other countries and ban guns. Crime hasn't fallen to zero in these countries, obviously. Not even gun crime. But America has had more mass shootings so far in 2022 than Japan, the UK and China have had, combined, for what? The past 20 years? I wouldn't be surprised if it was since before records began.

You don't want to ban all guns? No problem. Take a leaf out of Australia's book and ban semi-automatic weapons. In fact, this already happened, right? The ban expired in 2004, right alongside, predictably enough, an explosion in mass shootings (https://twitter.com/mikejason73/status/1529992509920890884?s=20&t=5P8Yfbpn4_4z8uQ5a1L-WQ).

You don't want to ban semi-automatic weapons? First of all, why???!!! But fine. Do what Sweden does and institute more stringent background checks. Make people explain what they're using their guns for and make gun training mandatory. Introduce waiting periods before you take ownership of your gun.

I mean, Jesus, there was another shooting in Chattanooga yesterday, right? Yes, I think you know what to do. And yes, I think a majority of Americans support at least doing something! What I think you mean to say is that you don't know what to do to totally eradicate gun violence, which is impossible and unnecessary. Or you don't know how to do it in a way that won't upset anybody, which should be weighed against the upset caused by children being murdered in their schools in perpetuity.

Again, I'm not making this a partisan issue. You're right, both the Left and the Right have had opportunities to do more about this problem (although, it must be said, in the wake of these shootings, it's only people on the Right claiming that it's "too early" to be talking about gun legislation). I'm just sick of the claims that the solutions are some kind of impossible mystery.

p.s. Also, making it harder to get semi-automatic weapons is just a brain-dead obvious solution to the problem of mass shooting. As evidenced, and I can't over-labour this point, by every single developed nation in the world. So if the Right is resisting that solution, you need to make a good case for why they shouldn't be criticised for it.

p.p.s Thanks for the heads-up about the Ted Cruz tweets. I’ll remove that line.