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Political violence vs. regular violence
Yesterday, September 10, 2025, at 12:20 MDT time, at Utah Valley University, high profile political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a public event while answering a question about gun violence.
Four minutes later, at Evergreen High School, one state over in Colorado, three High School Students were shot. One has died and two students are severely injured.
I was amazed last night as I watched U.S. television news casters spend hours disparaging the rise in political violence in the United States, but there was hardly any mention about the three juveniles shot at Evergreen High School. There was no mention of the increase in regular violence, but a total focus on the increase in political violence.
Panels of experts were examining the rise in political violence, but there were no panels and no experts talking about the Evergreen High School students who were shot. Not one panel. Not one expert. And no outrage.
Are high school shootings now considered regular violence I wonder.
So far this year in the U.S. there have been 47 school shootings in the United States. 24 were at universities and 23 on high school grounds. That s more than five school shootings a month. More than one school shooting a week. It is even hard to write those words.
But at more than once a week, I guess that would qualify school shootings as regular, and hence the lack of coverage compared to political violence.
A search of How many politicians have been shot in 2025 reveals that there were two shootings involvingU.S. politicians this year. One was in Minnesota, where two state politicians were shot, and one was the shooting of Charlie Kirk, yesterday in Utah. All of these are tragedies and shocking.
Perhaps the increase in political violence will motivate politicians to begin to seriously address their overall gun violence problem in the United States. Nothing else has worked, but once the violence is focused on the politicians, perhaps it will get their attention. It will not be easy to counter the gun lobby, but it needs to happen.
The United States could use many different countries as models for reasonable gun regulations and restrictions. Canada could be a starting place. Our society, economy, and culture is probably as close to that of the U.S.A. as any country.
However, in 2023, the U.S. gun related death count was 13.7 per 100,000 people.
In 2023, the Canadian gun related death count was. 88 per 100,000 people.
Based on those statistics, the U.S. gun related death count is 15.5 times higher per 100,000 people than Canada.
If the United States had the same gun related death count as Canada, 45,000 to 60,000 American lives would be saved. Many of these lives would be school students. Imagine.
Canada has reasonable restrictions on types of firearms available to the public, and reasonable restrictions on who can own firearms. Canada has sensible rules regarding safe storage and operator training.
In Canada the federal government sets the rules regarding firearms. In the United States, each state establishes their own firearms regulations. No two states are the same, and this makes it difficult to have uniform changes.
Nineteen states in the United States have few, or no restrictions on the right to openly carry a handgun or rifle, no permit required. There are no restrictions on assault rifles in these states, and no safe storage regulations.
One of these states is the state of Utah. Under Utah state laws, it is legal to carry a loaded firearm, concealed or not. No permit required. There are no bans on assault guns and no limit to magazine capacity. There are no state laws restricting shortened firearms. I cannot imagine that scenario.
It isn t just the State of Utah, there are many states with a similar lack of firearms regulations.
Reasonable firearms regulations are a good place to start to reduce United States gun violence of any kind. Perhaps the rise in political violence will motivate politicians to act on firearms regulations because the epidemic of regular violence has not.
Thanks for reading.
Bill
Four minutes later, at Evergreen High School, one state over in Colorado, three High School Students were shot. One has died and two students are severely injured.
I was amazed last night as I watched U.S. television news casters spend hours disparaging the rise in political violence in the United States, but there was hardly any mention about the three juveniles shot at Evergreen High School. There was no mention of the increase in regular violence, but a total focus on the increase in political violence.
Panels of experts were examining the rise in political violence, but there were no panels and no experts talking about the Evergreen High School students who were shot. Not one panel. Not one expert. And no outrage.
Are high school shootings now considered regular violence I wonder.
So far this year in the U.S. there have been 47 school shootings in the United States. 24 were at universities and 23 on high school grounds. That s more than five school shootings a month. More than one school shooting a week. It is even hard to write those words.
But at more than once a week, I guess that would qualify school shootings as regular, and hence the lack of coverage compared to political violence.
A search of How many politicians have been shot in 2025 reveals that there were two shootings involvingU.S. politicians this year. One was in Minnesota, where two state politicians were shot, and one was the shooting of Charlie Kirk, yesterday in Utah. All of these are tragedies and shocking.
Perhaps the increase in political violence will motivate politicians to begin to seriously address their overall gun violence problem in the United States. Nothing else has worked, but once the violence is focused on the politicians, perhaps it will get their attention. It will not be easy to counter the gun lobby, but it needs to happen.
The United States could use many different countries as models for reasonable gun regulations and restrictions. Canada could be a starting place. Our society, economy, and culture is probably as close to that of the U.S.A. as any country.
However, in 2023, the U.S. gun related death count was 13.7 per 100,000 people.
In 2023, the Canadian gun related death count was. 88 per 100,000 people.
Based on those statistics, the U.S. gun related death count is 15.5 times higher per 100,000 people than Canada.
If the United States had the same gun related death count as Canada, 45,000 to 60,000 American lives would be saved. Many of these lives would be school students. Imagine.
Canada has reasonable restrictions on types of firearms available to the public, and reasonable restrictions on who can own firearms. Canada has sensible rules regarding safe storage and operator training.
In Canada the federal government sets the rules regarding firearms. In the United States, each state establishes their own firearms regulations. No two states are the same, and this makes it difficult to have uniform changes.
Nineteen states in the United States have few, or no restrictions on the right to openly carry a handgun or rifle, no permit required. There are no restrictions on assault rifles in these states, and no safe storage regulations.
One of these states is the state of Utah. Under Utah state laws, it is legal to carry a loaded firearm, concealed or not. No permit required. There are no bans on assault guns and no limit to magazine capacity. There are no state laws restricting shortened firearms. I cannot imagine that scenario.
It isn t just the State of Utah, there are many states with a similar lack of firearms regulations.
Reasonable firearms regulations are a good place to start to reduce United States gun violence of any kind. Perhaps the rise in political violence will motivate politicians to act on firearms regulations because the epidemic of regular violence has not.
Thanks for reading.
Bill