The mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022 is a deja vu of August 3, 2019 when a man carrying a rifle walked into a Walmart parking lot in El Paso, Texas and spewed bullets. He killed 23 people and injured another 26.
Did he wonder whether the loose and lax laws controlling the purchase of guns in the state of Texas had anything to do with this senseless carnage?
Did he wonder whether the tenor of racism and anti-immigration policy that underscores Texas politics had anything to do with contributing to the demented mindset of the gunman?
Did he wonder whether the state of Texas should consider more effective GUN CONTROL LAWS?
I don’t think so- I’m waiting for the grand grievance speech and he’ll be on his merry way to consolidate his power and control over the state.
But for me the saddest part is how I am slowly becoming inured to the number of mass shootings, killings, and murders reported on a daily basis. Sadly, I am no longer shocked when I hear someone opens fire in a crowd. What shocks me more is that there is not a national outcry for gun control laws. Instead I read last week that the John Birch Society had sponsored a gathering in Idaho so that a group of potential voters could listen to proposed campaign platforms. They applauded
I am left without words after that.
Anyway after El Paso, I made this painting of sewn fabric shards interwoven with clippings from The New York Times:
20 ARE KILLED IN A SHOOTING IN EL PASO
FIVE ARE DEAD AND 21 INJURED IN WEST TEXAS SHOOTING
I call it “Perpetual Mourning”