Why did I decide to finally write? Like most people, mass shootings have always left me speechless. Of course, I don't need to have lived in other countries to know that the approach the USA takes regarding gun-related violence is perplexingly unique. I consider myself a keen observer, so I noticed that during the lockdown of the pandemic in 2020-2021, mass shooting news reports drastically went down (even as violence overall seemed to reach new records). So, I found myself wondering whether the lockdown would help with the gun violence crisis, and save lives from the lethal virus.

I was a welder/metal worker for nearly 40 years, with only dreams of writing, having abandoned college literature and science classes for the trade to ward off starvation and frostbite.