Mass Shootings: Why America Doesn’t Change

Twenty-four hours apart, mass shootings struck Brown University and Bondi Beach. Australia's Prime Minister announced gun reform before the crime tape came down. America offered thoughts and prayers. This episode traces why—from the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that transformed Australia, to the constitutional straitjacket, cultural mythology, and lobbying machine that keeps America locked in place. Is American paralysis a failure of will, or a system working exactly as designed?

Further Resources

• PBS NewsHour – "At least 2 people killed, 8 injured in shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island"⁠https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/at-least-2-people-killed-8-injured-in-shooting-at-brown-university-in-rhode-island⁠
• Council on Foreign Relations – "U.S. Gun Policy: Global Comparisons"⁠https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons⁠
• The Violence Project – "Mass Shooting Database Methodology"⁠https://www.theviolenceproject.org/methodology/⁠
• Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions – "Firearm Violence in the United States"⁠https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/issues/gun-violence-in-the-united-states⁠
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation – "On gun violence, the United States is an outlier"⁠https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/insights-blog/acting-data/gun-violence-united-states-outlier