I hear you Karen,

I remember not being able to drive away from the Safeway parking lot when the news came on concerning Columbine.

I had at that point been teaching High School for nearly 21 years.

What? Kids are killing each other in the hall ways now?

Your rage is justified.

The reasoning behind the gun culture and its associative carnage?

Suicidal ideation is also at work. As is poverty and the inequitable distribution of wealth.

As to US culture and its impending revolution?

Many are witnessing the incendiary vestiges of the Civil War and the mythology of oppressive Reconstruction already aflame.

Stories of carpet baggers from the North, the burning of Atlanta and the loss of a 'glorious' culture have been inserted into memes of Black Helicopters and Federal Agents and Civil Rights 'Woke' advocates supposedly coming to steal 'our guns' or tear down our statues and replace our flags.

Unlike in Canada, the US Federal Gov't does not have a good reputation and for good reason.

Many gun owners fears are based on that.

Although a trust in Gov't is fast fading up here in the Great White North, having a gun to protect oneself from the US Gov't is tragically seen as common sense.

As well, US culture has continued to inculcate the possibility of a chance at the American Dream.

You know, where the lone hero can ride into town, shoot it out, get a shoulder wound and ride off into the sunset with a pretty gal resting on his good arm, making sure the saddle bag of riches doesn't interfere with his free access to his trusty Winchester.

Regardless of 'In God we Trust', many Americans have no chance for a grasp at this dream.

15.7 million Whites live below the poverty line

10.5 million Hispanics

8.9 million Blacks

2.0 million Asians

1.1 million Native Americans and Pacific Islanders

(https://www.usatoday.com/st...

That's almost the total population of Canada living in poverty.

IOW, many Americans are fighting amongst each other for the scraps that fall from the incredibly rich feast table of US life, a table where all should be welcome but are not.

The US is unwilling to recognize let alone tackle its 'class' issues, wherein their oligarchs amass huge fortunes and an ever greater share of the wealth.

Of interest: "In France just before the Revolution of 1789, the proportion of national wealth held by the top 10 percent was about 90 percent, and the fraction possessed by the top 1 percent was as much as 60 percent."

In the USA today?

"Wealth is distributed in a highly unequal fashion, with the wealthiest 1 percent of families in the United States holding about 40 percent of all wealth and the bottom 90 percent of families holding less than one-quarter of all wealth."

So, with the share of wealth decreasing dramatically, wages have not kept up with inflation since 1972, better to arm oneself to the teeth to keep the supposed 'others' from taking what little you have.

Or prepare for a Civil War or Revolution.

Of course, the easiest way to stop a revolution is to divide and conquer those angry enough to revolt.

Have them fight amongst themselves.

And that most assuredly is happening.

And 18-year old young men, frustrated and alienated AND for God's sake maybe on psychotropics, like the assailants at Columbine and Sandy Hook most assuredly were, should not have any access to weapons of war