U.S. Militarism Promotes Gun Violence. To reduce gun violence here, reduce military violence worldwide.

“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.

To reduce gun violence, the government should set a good example. Use honest diplomacy, not war. And voters should replace nearly all incumbents with candidates who will oppose militarism.

About GlenAnderson 1498 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org