guns – Page 3 – Engaging Peace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp1-ncU2ilY

The roots of the current U.S. culture of violence extend back to the unprecedented violence unleashed on this continent by European settlers in the 17^th century. With the impunity that came with access to guns, belief in a God who favored them over others, and readily available justifications for violence, the settlers undertook a genocide of the native peoples.

The heavy hand of this culture of violence has always descended more heavily on some victims than others—not just on the native peoples but always on whoever the more recent immigrants are, on people of color, on non-Christians, and on women and children.

Consider the following facts about violence against women from the “National intimate partner and sexual violence survey (2011): data on abuse by intimate partner”:

32.9% of women reported physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime
24.3% of women reported severe physical violence in their lifetime
4% reported physical violence from an intimate partner within the past year
40.3% reported psychological aggression
10.4% reported psychological aggression in the past year

Growing up in a culture of violence, with its constant images of and justifications for violence and inhumanity, affects everyone. Children growing up in such a culture and women surviving in such a culture may respond to their experiences in ways that prolong their misery and make it easy for the more privileged segments of society to abuse them further.

Consider these facts about women in prison:

Over 90% have experienced violence in their lives
33% report childhood sexual abuse
More than 50% of the abused women report rape or attempted rape

Efforts to stop violence against women, which now extend worldwide, will be considered in later posts, but for now join us in this inspiring anthem from One Billion Rising.

Join your voice with proponents of an end to violence against women, which in turn would strengthen the resistance to violence against children and other living things.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

“How many deaths will it take?” In how many places within the United States and abroad?

Aurora, Colorado? Tucson, Arizona? Virginia Tech? Columbine? The University of Texas tower?

Nagasaki? Korea? Vietnam? Grenada? Panama? Iraq? Afghanistan? Pakistan?

NRA headquarters. Photo by Bjoertvedt, used under CC Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

The answer, my friend, according to the corporate media, is that the number of deaths and injuries inflicted on Americans by Americans will grow without end because the National Rifle Association owns the government.

Another answer is that the number of deaths–mostly civilians–that Americans inflict around the world will grow without end because of

Fear promoted by the power structure
Glorification of violence in the media
National enthrallment with punishment, and
Belief in American exceptionalism to be defended at all costs.

How many roads must people walk down before they will choose civility and discourse over violence? Peace over war? Justice over guns? Humanity over profits?

For people who profit from the weapons business and gain power from manipulating fear, the rewards for making weapons available to individuals, groups, and nations far outweigh the costs.

According to The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2010, Lockheed Martin, the biggest arms producer and military service company in the world, grossed $35.7 billion from arms sales.

Among the 100 top arms producers, 44 US-based companies accounted for over 60% of all arms sales (The Guardian DataBlog, March 2, 2012). Those are powerful incentives for pretending not to see all the gun-related deaths.

The NRA receives millions of dollars from online sales of ammunition and related products, as well as enormous donations from Smith & Wesson (manufacturer of the M&P15 assault rifle used in Colorado). Those are powerful incentives for not hearing the cries of victims and their families.

And what does the ready availability of weapons do for ordinary Americans? Among 23 high-income countries, 80 percent of all gun deaths and 87 percent of all gun deaths of children younger than 15 occur in the United States. (See Children’s Defense Fund report.)

If you are appalled by the loss of life, become an activist. To learn more about gun control, the NRA, and ways of promoting change, check out the following resources:

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology