I respectfully disagree with some here in reference to mass shootings...

[bucolic_frolic]

34. Churches, gun manufacturers, and conservative politicians benefit from this system.

It's a money cycle: Shootings keep people in fear, praying, and donating to churches. The distraction from actually doing anything about guns enables the manufacture of more guns, which means more gun money for conservative politicians, which leads to nothing being done, more lack of gun regulation, and more shootings to close the loop and repeat the cycle. Churches, gun manufacturers, and conservative politicians benefit from this system. They never have to do a thing except make more money and grow their power. As a bonus they have people to hate which pleases them no end, and they get to tell themselves and each other what great God-fearing Christians they are for praying for the victims of mass shootings. Mental rigidity is a feature of religious people, MAGA, conservatives, and profitable industries.