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The Fetish for Firearms

American Gun Culture Is About Race, Control, and Fascism

Hank Kalet Apr 19 ∙ Preview

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I saw the report on the news. Thought, “I’ve done that. We’ve all done that.” Pulled into the wrong driveway. Or maybe used a driveway to turn around. Many of us have been guilty of ringing the wrong door bell, as Ralph Yarl was. Guilty of an innocent mistake. A simple error. Ralph Yarl is 16. Will survive. But only because he scrambled away to another house. The homeowner, according to The New York Times, an 84-year-old white man. Gun owner. Terrified by the current hysteria over rising crime. He’s been charged. Faces prison. But at 84 likely won’t serve time.

The shooter in upstate New York. The man who killed 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, a passenger in the car that mistakenly pulled into his driveway, was also charged. Second-degree murder. He was “sour,” neighbors say. As if that matters. As if this was about his personality. As if it explains anything.

Gillis’ murder and the attempted murder of 16-year-old Ralph Yarl are symptoms of broader, intersecting ailments. Diseases of the American psyche that have deep roots in our mythology, in our history, but that have been grown dramatically in the Age of Trump.

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This is a free, public post from Hank Kalet’s Channel Surfing. You will continue to receive these email stories and newsletters as long as you remain a an email subscriber. Consider becoming a paid subscriber and get paywall-protected posts, the ability to comment on posts and participate in discussion boards, offers to write guest blog posts, and copies of my books. If you are a $5-a-month Patreon patron, you already are considered a paid subscriber.

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This is a free, public post from Hank Kalet’s Channel Surfing. You will continue to receive these email stories and newsletters as long as you remain a an email subscriber. Consider becoming a paid subscriber and get paywall-protected posts, the ability to comment on posts and participate in discussion boards, offers to write guest blog posts, and copies of my books. If you are a $5-a-month Patreon patron, you already are considered a paid subscriber.

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