Bloodbath Nation

Written by Paul Auster, Bloodbath Nation’s title is self-explanatory: a journey through the mass shootings that have plagued the United States, and the historical legal decisions that have led to the current state of affairs of mass shootings around the U.S.

I find there isn’t too much to say without sounding repetitive. Unfortunately, the book didn’t provide me with new facts or information to have a deeper understanding on the topic. 

Auster tries to make the argument that the originalist interpretation of the Constitution is a stretch. I am no legal scholar, but I find this argumentation pointless. One side of the debate fervently thinks it is the right interpretation, and this side happens to be very vocal. I then wonder what’s the point of making this argument if it is unlikely to sway anyone that matters. 

Perhaps the biggest revelation that came from the book was that gunrights in their modern incarnation stem from the civil rights movement era. Auster recounts episodes where members of the Black Panther movement went to the California State Capitol in Sacramento armed. Their main point was that black people were suffering at the hands of police, and hence needed to protect themselves. Switch police for deep state, and black for white, and the argument sounds eerily similar to the NRA arguments. 

It was interesting to read some quotes from past Republican luminaries such as Ronald Reagan in opposition to arms: “There’s no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons”, adding that guns are: ”ridiculous way to solve the problems that have to be solved among people of good will”

As a result of the Blank Panther movement, some legislation was passed to limit guns, which in turn triggered a profound change in the NRA, which would switch from an organization that defended people with guns with the intent of killing animals, to defending people with guns who kill humans (the famous maxim: “guns don’t kill people, guns kill people” comes to mind).

Auster’s prose is light and engaging. Alas, the book, provides no answers or suggestions to address the violent epidemic making its way through the U.S. I guess we’ll just have to live with it.