again: i'm not actually opposed to background checks. and, i will at least concede that they may make a difference on a very small percentage of shootings, meaning the policy may have some positive effect, so i'd have to lean towards supporting them rather than being neutral towards them. but, i must insist that they are not a serious solution to gun violence. they're not even a band-aid, really. what they are is low-hanging fruit, and to hear politicians push them as an answer is a reflection of the cul-de-sac that the democratic party finds itself in on gun violence, caught between a small but vocal conservative minority that thinks that you solve complicated social problems by banning things and a fundamentally broken heartland culture that associates gun ownership with it's core nationalist identity.

that's the most aggressive policy you're going to get: background checks.

what the country needs in order to stop gun violence is a deep level of reflection about how it sees guns. politicians that seek to represent the perspective of rural identity voters need to begin to understand that it is the identity itself that is at the crux of the problem, and what needs to change in order to stop the violence. you hear them say this - this is not who we are. but, this is exactly the problem: you need to understand that this is who you are, and look very deep inside yourselves, collectively, in order to come to a solution. it is going to take a deep, critical examination of every aspect of american culture. it is going to require changing what it means to be an american.

or, you can accept that america is an inherently violent place built on a culture of violence, that america is a place where violence and mass murder has been the norm from day one; you can accept the status quo for what it is.

these are your real choices.

but, i will nonetheless ask the question, as people call for a return of the house to pass a bill on background checks: is there any evidence at this stage that either of these shooters would have failed one?