| 1. | A mass shooting has occurred in the United States. It would appear that a political response is required. Do the Democrats control the White House and both Houses of Congress? | |
| YES | 2. | The government passes meaningful gun control legislation. |
| NO | 3. | Do the Democrats control the White House and one of the Houses of Congress? |
| YES | 4. | The Democrats propose meaningful gun control legislation. The Republicans lose their shit, warning that all Americans are about to lose their guns and threatening not to pass any Democratic legislation if any meaningful gun control laws are passed. Watered down gun control legislation is barely passed. |
| NO | 5. | Republican leaders, who, for some reason, do not comment on how they repealed the gun laws passed by the previous Democratic administration, offer their thoughts and prayers to the victims of the shooting and their families. |
| 6. | Does the media lose interest in the story? | |
| YES | GO TO 1 | |
| NO | 7. | Republican politicians and their stooges in the media place the blame for the mass killing squarely where it belongs: on the shooter, who is obviously insane. None of them are psychologists, and, in any case, they offer no proof beyond the syllogism that only crazy people walk into other people's places of worship (or shopping, which, admittedly, for many is the same thing) and try to kill as many people as they can. QED (Quod Erat Deplorable). |
| 8. | Now does the media lose interest in the story? | |
| YES | GO TO 1 | |
| NO | 9. | Blame violent video games for the shooting. Or, violent movies. Or, violent comic books. Or, violent cuneiform tablets. Responsibility for gun carnage? It's the media, stupid. |
| 10. | Did the shooter leave documents behind (say, posts on social media) that referred to invasions, vermin or other racist rhetoric (which absolutely, positively did not mimic the rhetoric of the President, even if it used the exact same language)? | |
| YES | 11. | Reiterate in the strongest, loudest, most forceful terms that the shooter was crazy, and, therefore, nothing he said or wrote should be taken seriously. Accuse anybody who took the shooter's writings at face value of "politicizing" the shooting. |
| NO | 12. | Wow. This story really has legs! By this time in the news cycle, journalists would have moved on to the President attacking a black sports star, or cute kittens, or the President attacking a black sports star with cute kittens! Are any journalists still following this story? Like, seriously? |
| NO | GO TO 1 | |
| YES | 13. | The Republicans announce that they are shocked and saddened by gun violence in the country, and that they are currently studying ways to resolve the problem. Americans should expect legislation on the subject immediately...after the current recess. |
| 14. | Does the NRA have a hissy fit and warn the President and Republican members of Congress that, current investigations into its finances and expensive lawsuits notwithstanding, going against its wishes will alienate a lot of the party's base? | |
| YES | 15. | Republicans will carry on with the items on their legislative agenda, ignoring the waning criticism of their inaction on gun violence. GO TO 1 |
| NO | 15. | Republicans will carry on with the items on their legislative agenda, ignoring the waning criticism of their inaction on gun violence. GO TO 1 |
NOTES
Ever get the uncanny feeling that you've lived through the politics of gun violence in America before? That's not deja vu, friend, that's just you paying attention to the news. Repeatedly. Over decades.
In 2019, there has been an average of over one mass shooting somewhere in the United States a day. There is something to be said for consistency. It's horrifying.
And, yet, as the years roll by and the body count increases by leaps and bounds (and handguns and assault rifles), it's hard not to be numbed by the carnage, to feel helpless to do anything to stop it. Of course, there is something that can be done to end it: stop electing politicians who put the campaign contributions they get from the gun lobby before the lives of other people's children.
As if.
As always, the American Action on Gun Violence Algorithm is descriptive, not proscriptive. Believe us, we would rather put bullets in our own heads from guns we don't own than recommend this as a rational course of political action!
