We won't cry for you, America

Because we're so tired.

This letter below was written by a Canadian.

Dear America:
I can't feel bad for you anymore. I am so tired of wasting "thoughts and prayers" on your destructive society. I am tired of watching you spew hate at other races, religions and cultures while you are the ones who are dangerous. You are the ones who are killing each other.

I am tired of watching killing after killing then seeing gun wagging, egotistical Americans yell obnoxiously about how the cure for this problem is more guns.

The rest of the civilized world is collectively shaking their head. The rest of the world does not sell automatic rifles to citizens off the street. The rest of the world does not shoot up high schools, churches, country music festivals. The rest of the world does not open fire in Elementary schools. Everybody "cares" Nobody acts. 

And so I can't think about or pray for you anymore. All those thoughts and prayers for the 273rd time this year. Because that's how many shootings America has had since January 1, 2017. I can't waste my prayers on a society that refuses to change. I cannot feel bad for a place that refuses to acknowledge its self destruction.

You fill yourselves with hate that is fueled by fear and misunderstanding of anybody who isn't you. You support banning people from your country. You cheer for a wall to separate you. You refuse to see that the real problem, the real villain, is you.

My family just returned from a trip to the U.S. My daughter loved the warmth and the beaches. She asked me why we couldn't live there. As we drove by billboard after billboard advertising where one could purchase themselves a new gun, and as I listened to racial slurs be used in every day conversation by locals, and as I listened to your President refer to white supremacists as "very good people" and football, players kneeling for your anthem as "sons of bitches", I struggled to find the words to explain to my six year old that we will never live there because I would never want my children to think that any of these things are acceptable, let alone normal.

America's obsession with guns is so fascinating to me, because never in my 31 years has it ever occurred to me to purchase one. But what we need is more guns. Because if we all have guns, we can shoot the shooter.

But guns don't kill people. People kill people.

When does it stop? when does it sink in? People with guns kill people. In the 273 mass shootings that have occurred in 2017, exactly how many were stopped by a person on the street with a license to carry a weapon? You and your handgun are no match for an automatic rifle on the 32nd floor of a hotel. The answer is to control the sale of firearms. Why is it that everyone can see this but you?

People who cannot purchase guns do not massacre schools. People who cannot purchase guns do not mow down six and seven-year old children and their teachers in a time frame of about fifteen minuets. People who cannot purchase guns do not murder fifty-eight people and injure 515. The rest of the world is screaming this at you and you refuse to see the problem because you refuse to take responsibility.

So why is it that 6,880 people have died from gunshot wounds this year and America is still not taking the guns? Why is is that 6,880 people have been killed in one year, and you have yet to lose your privilege?

Why is it that you are more concerned about your "right to bear arms" than you are about the mother whose children never come home? I'm sorry America, but I can't pray for you anymore. I am exhausted and you are not changing. And according to history, you never will change. And it will get worse and worse. And our prayers do nothing.

L.C.
Clarenville, Nfld”