A longtime advocate for gun control, on Friday (2.16) John Mellencamp issued a statement condemning gun violence and encouraged citizens of the United States to confront the “carnage” in order to end it.
Taking to social media, the iconic singer/songwriter stated:
“Excuse me for stating the obvious truth. I do so out of love for this country and the pain of learning, once again, that children have been killed by gun violence.” “If we as a country want to find the collective will within ourselves to change our gun laws, let’s stop playing silly political games. Show the carnage on the news. Show the American people the dead children and others who have been struck down. Show us what guns and bullets can do to the human body.” “The news media need to be brave enough to let Americans see what slaughtered children look like. Otherwise, I fear that too many perceive gun violence as an abstract; a story that’s repeated nearly every day to numbing effect.”
Unsure as to what precipitated the pop rockers statement, his words arrived a day after gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, that killed one person and injured 22, more than half of whom were minors.
In ‘Hey God,’ Mellencamp’s 2023 composition, the singer questioned the Second Amendment and compared the situation to the Vietnam War, when protests against the conflict only increased when footage of the brutality of the war was shown during televised news.
“I say this as a father and a human being, with deep empathy for the parents whose children have had their lives ended so suddenly and so senselessly: Show America the carnage.” “I am not being callous, and I know it will be painful to see. But, sad to say, I think it’s the only way to shock America out of its stupor,” said John Mellencamp.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Andrea Sartorati