THE ANDERSON FILES

cycle. Donald Trump told the recent NRA convention that liberals “want to take away your guns while throwing open the jailhouse doors and releasing bloodthirsty criminals into your communities.”

There has definitely been an increase in violent crime across the country. Various media outlets and elected officials have blamed progressive prosecutors for this surge. However, a recent study of 65 major cities finds no evidence for this claim. This was a wideranging investigation conducted by the University of Toronto in collaboration with researchers from Rutgers University, Temple University, Loyola University of Chicago, and University of Missouri, St. Louis.

The vast majority of gun violence perpetrators and victims are young men.

Sociologist Eric Madfis notes that males are socialized to respond differently than females to stress and perceived victimization He told Politico, “Women tend to internalize blame and frustration, while men tend to externalize it through acts of aggression.”

Domestic violence is a public health crisis in this country. Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner.

We are facing an invigorated rightwing crusade promoting male supremacy and a patriarchal society where people adhere to strictly defined gender roles. The fierce fights against reproductive rights and LGBT rights is only the beginning.

It’s an uphill battle for right-wingers. But they have guns.

In fact, four Republican members of Congress want to make the AR-15 “the national gun” (at the moment we don’t have one). The bill was introduced by Barry Moore of Alabama, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, George Santos of New York and Andrew Clyde of Georgia. The AR-15 has frequently been used by mass shooters.

You might remember Clyde as the guy who said the Jan. 6 events looked like “a normal tourist visit.” He has stood by that comment. During National Gun Violence Survivors Week, Clyde passed out lapel pins shaped like assault rifles. He also owns a gun store. Isn’t that cute?

This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.