Letter: Are any Americans really ‘shocked’ by gun violence anymore?
Jul 17, 2024

When I read the Post-Dispatch headline “Shooting shocks U.S.” (July 15 print edition), about the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, I thought I
was reading Mad Magazine.

Since the 1960s, more than 17 million AR-15s have been sold in the United States. I don’t know where the newspaper’s staff lives, but in the greater St. Louis Metro area, we probably average about four or five homicides a week from guns.
In addition, our Missouri Legislature thinks open-carry for everyone is fine. The Legislature also thinks it is fine for 16-year-old children to be able to purchase guns.
I wonder if emergency physicians at BJC Hospital were “shocked” by the shooting?

We have people running for governor who are using war-type weapons in their advertising
— flame throwers and machine guns. The gun culture is everywhere.

The headline reminded me of the movie “Casablanca,” when Claude Raines said he was “Shocked!
Shocked!” that gambling was going on at Rick’s Cafe as the dealer handed him his winnings.

With all the mass shootings that go on in this country every week, I don’t believe anyone in the
United States is still “shocked.”

Robert Zangas

Ballwin