According to recent data, there are four hundred million guns in the U.S. This equates to 120 guns for every one hundred Americans. More alarming is the fact that half of America’s privately-owned firearm inventory is owned by 3 percent of the population. According to CNN, this concentration of civilian firepower “represents around 46% of the world’s civilian gun cache.”
This Friday the Kootenai Democratic Club looks at America’s obsession with guns. An obsession that sets us apart from other industrialized nations. To be clear, this week’s topic is not focused on Gun Control. Rather, it is an examination of the evolution of American Gun Culture from one of hunting and sports shooting toward one of militant vigilantism.
In a pre-recorded video, Author and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges will explain the evolution of America’s gun culture and the country’s increasing obsession with automatic high-capacity weapons. He will outline why American conservatives cling to their guns, and what we must do if we ever hope to change this trend.
Join us at noon, online for a look at the state of American Gun Culture, how we got here, and a possible path forward.
ABOUT CHRIS HEDGES
Chris Hedges is an American journalist, Presbyterian minister, author, and commentator. In his early career, he worked as a freelance war correspondent in Central America. Hedges also reported on conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East. His firsthand knowledge of the gruesome nature of war and the destructiveness of military grade weapons is broad. He stopped reporting in active conflicts in October 2000.
ABOUT OUR MEETINGS
The Democrat Club meets each Friday at noon online. We distribute a Zoom link for our club meetings each Thursday prior to the meeting date. Contact Phil at pjwmia@aol.com or Ruben at rmiranda2265@gmail.com, to request the link or assistance connecting. We will return to in person/online meetings as soon as it becomes safe to do so. You can find videos of past Club meetings at KootenaiCountyDemClub.com/Meeting Videos.
