“Climate deniers” refuse to acknowledge the human causes of the climate crisis. Likewise some people try to blame gun violence on far-fetched causes such as popular music or pornography, even though those are common in other rich nations with very little gun violence.
Deeply embedded in U.S. culture is an excessive willingness to use military violence. The U.S. has a long history of mistakenly thinking that violence solves problems. The U.S. has started wars to dominate other nations, especially since the 1898 Spanish American War.
In the past 120 years the U.S. military has overthrown dozens of nations. We have nearly 800 military bases in more than 70 countries. The U.S. is waging seven “endless wars” worldwide. The U.S. is the world’s #1 seller of military weapons to other countries. On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King said the U.S. was “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.”
The government’s use of violence teaches people that they can solve their personal problems by shooting people. It’s even worse under Trump, who scorns honest diplomacy and threatens more wars.
Actually, both political parties are heavily funded by the military-industrial complex, so Pentagon dominance persists regardless of which party runs Congress or the Administration. Nearly all congressional incumbents – including those from Washington State – keep funding and supporting the Pentagon’s violence.