“Dying of Whiteness”: GOP Racial Fearmongering Linked to Increased Violent Death Rates

…And when I attended my all-boys Jesuit high school, I must have missed that section of the Bible where Jesus told his disciples to share the bread, pass the ammo and own the libs.

— Wajahat Ali

Wajahat Ali’s brilliant MSNBC op ed exposes the alarming link between Republican culture war violence and the increased rates of violent deaths of white Americans.

Gun-related Deaths Reach an All-Time High

Recent data shows that gun-related deaths in the United States are at their highest levels since the turn of the century. This disturbing trend shows that something has to be done to mitigate the risks posed by firearms. The GOP, however, has demolished sensible gun laws to cater to their increasingly paranoid, hateful, white supremacist violent base.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,there were over 40,000 gun-related deaths in the US in 2019. This makes gun-related deaths the second leading cause of death behind car accidents. This number is particularly concerning when you consider that the population of the US has grown steadily over the past two decades.

A Need for Gun Reform

It’s clear that something needs to be done to reduce the number of gun-related deaths. Common sense gun reforms such as closing the gun show loophole and expanding background checks have been shown to reduce the number of gun-related deaths. Additionally, measures like red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who are deemed to be a risk, have been shown to be effective.

The Republican Party, however, has subjugated the Constitution’s preamble’s “promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty” to one very short clause in an amendment, ripping it completely out of its original context.

Gun-related deaths are at an all-time high and it’s clear that something needs to be done to reduce the risks posed by firearms. Common sense gun reforms, like closing the gun show loophole and expanding background checks, have been proven to be effective in reducing the number of gun-related deaths. We need to take action to end this disturbing trend and save lives.

Instead of protecting lives, the GOP is ginning up the violent base, using the debunked argument that armed people are safer. Studies have proven that even for people who don’t own a firearm, their death rates are much higher if they live in a household with a firearm.

Conclusion

It is clear that Republican state and federal policies are leading to higher rates of gun deaths, and these policies are not saving the white race, but instead killing white Americans.

Ironically, Republicans are forcing white supremacy by killing white Americans. We must take action and work together to put an end to the Republican gun fetish.