'Merica by kerosene

'Merica

After each mass shooting there is resurgence of the gun control / gun rights battle that never seem to get anywhere in this country. Nor do we get any further in the mental illness discussion, either – because that takes time (and we so love instant gratification), it takes money (and why would we spend it on that?), and well, honestly it’s an extremely complicated issue to deal with.

In the last six years, there have been close to 200 deaths in the US related to mass shooting incidents. Yet during that timeframe three more states have allowed unpermitted concealed carry. The more prominently-covered mass shootings typically increase gun law activity (such as the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy of December 2012), but there is still so long to go…

Just in the past two weeks there have been two incidents in movie theaters (in Louisiana and Tennessee) – not to the Aurora, Colorado magnitude, but it still took away two lives and some injuries were incurred – both physical and mental. Movie theaters, where people go to enjoy a good movie and escape the harshness of reality… and where you can find me tomorrow night.
I think it is more of a mental illness issue vs. gun control. And you are 100% correct - it is not glamorous or able to be fixed in two days, so it goes ignored for the most part.
August 7th, 2015  
Love this image, shame about the inspiration (if that makes sense).
August 7th, 2015  
@graemestevens thank you Graeme, and it makes sense.
@sefferdog agreed... It's a shame.
August 8th, 2015  
Thought provoking pic and write-up. I think the media here has stopped reporting the cinema shootings now - they barely register as 'news' any more. I hadn't heard about the latest ones until you mentioned them.
August 8th, 2015  
@alia_801 *sigh* that's a shame, it not registering as 'news' anymore. The Tennessee one, the guy had a machete?! It's insane. Mind you I go back and forth on listening to the news - sometimes I need to shut everything off, it's too much...
August 8th, 2015  
Thanks for using your photography to make a statement - it can be a very powerful tool for raising awareness of issues
August 9th, 2015  
@sam_i_am thank you Sam, your comment means a lot. I didn't want to post this to offend people's sensitivity, instead I just wanted exactly what you're describing.
August 9th, 2015  
What an incredibly moving and powerful image you have created here. It makes its point simply and clearly without going over the top. Excellent work and a Fav!
August 10th, 2015  
@vignouse thank you Richard for your kind comment and fav!
August 10th, 2015  
Thought-provoking Caroline! Hats off!
August 21st, 2015  
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