I’ve been travelling regularly to Spo.kane recently for work.  This has been interesting for me, as I live and work in a bit of a liberal bubble.  I mostly read liberal papers.  (I’d actually like to read the WSJ, for example, but they are behind a paywall.)  I’ve begun to think of myself as a conservative because I find my views ARE conservative compared to the prevailing wisdom of Seattle politicians.  But leaving here is an eye-opener.  One of the things that has stuck out most for me is the amount of pro-gun signage.  If Seattle, you’ll occasionally see an NRA bumper sticker.  Certainly, my old company leaned conservative, being full of aerospace engineers, compared to the area at large.  But pro-gun and conservative (ie pro-life) billboards, bumper stickers, and signs in windows are everywhere in Spo.kane.  Well, maybe not everywhere.  But they’re around in a way that they just aren’t on this side of the state.  Living here, I just kind of assume that everyone favors gun control, or most everyone, because . . . why wouldn’t you?  But, they don’t.  They REALLY don’t.

The latest shooting doesn’t change my opinion.  I’d ban all manner of guns and pretty much reduce us to a state comparable to Ireland.  In my ideal world, your average LEO wouldn’t carry a gun, never mind ordinary citizens.  I’m pretty much a pro-gun person’s worst nightmare.  H and I donate a few hundred dollars every year to our local anti-gun organization (they’d call themselves pro-gun responsibility, but come on.  They’re anti-gun.)  Last night I suggested we move to Ireland after hearing about the latest massacre.  I hate it when people do that – bash the US and talk about moving, usually to Canada.  I think living in this country is an incredible privilege that most people under-appreciate, with or without Trump.  But people getting shot in the streets?  It’s just unacceptable, and I really see no end or improvement in sight.