Didn't really mean to take you out of context, it is a wedge between parties, but that wedge has been created and formed by the gun lobby and mostly the GOP and right-factions. When I say guns, I include ammo, culture, right-wing extremism, the lies and disinformation, and anything else surrounding them.
What the "criminals are shooting each other over" that you "could care less" about is a very minute part of the problem but a big part of society's misunderstanding of it and only the results of and part of the whole massive misinformation wars that are being waged mainly from one party. Crime and guns go hand in hand and effect not just the criminals, but high costs to more of the innocent and legal.
Also part of those wars is the scam forming many beliefs that each party is at the same level. "They both do it" or similar statements are common. Yes they both lie, manipulate, and politicize. But the degree and magnitude and danger to our democracy (such as it is) and our way of life is where the similarities end. The difference is stark and overwhelming and it shouldn't be ignored. No intelligent or factual debate can elude from it or prove otherwise. Only statements of ignorance and political banter. That was the reason I spoke up I guess, not just from your one post, but overall your succumbing to that reasoning of equal violation of two. It's not, far from it. Just like in drugs, have to admit to the problems in order to just start getting any "house in order".
I should of expanded the description from just fentanyl to all the chemicals and precursors which the bulk of it is made or produced in China. Also included is the environment surrounding it. Yes, there are other overseas areas that it comes from, but even some of those or even most of those areas have the China connection and influence. I agree and know that the cartels make their own product or add to many other drug product out of those chemicals and precursors, I was using one word to include it all. Also, I'm aware that there was, a few years back anyway, a threat to the Cartel's business by those sources of the chemicals bypassing the Mexican cartels and shipping direct into the US (involving other cartels and US players). Maybe more than realized. One of the factors increasing the Cartels own concoctions. Not that it matters whether or not drugs come from China or Africa, but it is where the bulk and beginning of this epidemic originates from.
Not invalidating your experience and perspectives, I've worked with people with similar experience and perspectives and have great amount of respect for those people. Retired from it all with the coming of the Covid and Mitigation Wars which killed 100's of thousands of people needlessly, more than guns or drugs, most all waged from the right-wing party. And it is still killing and effecting 100's every day, more than drugs or guns are doing.
Just letting you know I have some experience in this also, living homeless on the streets in the bowels of societies worst for my entire teen yrs, then a couple degrees later, and over the years working with drug addicts, nonprofit, education and gov institutions, having thousands of tenants in all walks of life and beliefs, all giving not a conflicting story, just giving another unique or different and added perspectives.
The Mexican Cartels have treated everything they do as any big corporation would do for decades now. Suits, ties, and accounting principles. Coyotes are just part of their enterprise. Way back in the day it was weed that was most of their income supplying funds to their other criminal enterprises (some actually legal). Graduating over time to these days of the ease and profits of chemicals.
Having no guns of course is a utopian fantasy. But limit and control is a viable alternative and would go a long way in limiting crime, drugs, human trafficking's, and corruption. Even lessen the amount of deaths and destruction from fentanyl, no matter where it comes from. But it would eliminate some funds from the gun industry and politicians' pockets, mostly the GOP party.
At this point the belief that most gun owners are responsible are another misnomer. Might be how you word it. Most owners or the owners of most guns. Most of guns are held and distributed by criminals and terrorists. This includes the criminal right-wing Proud Boys and the like. Massive quantities are held and illegal gun dealing are common by right-wing terrorist factions (a big part of the GOP base and ones who hold way more quantities than the normal gun owner citizen), then other criminal natures of US gangs and Mexican Cartels and the millions of guns owned by them (legal and illegal).
And even with everyday citizens, too many legal "responsible" gun owners are the cause of an increasingly number of accidental deaths of children. Mostly in states with loose gun laws and without secure storage or child access prevention laws.
At the start of the Pandemic unintentional children's deaths from those "responsible" gun owners rose over 30% in the last half of 2020 over 2019. 2021 beat that. In 2021 the number of children in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded gun increased to over 5 million children. "Responsibility" is not the classification I would use. That's only discussing the "unintentional" accidents, not the culture and intended effects that happen with those millions of the young.
Sorry for rambling on here and going way further and deeper than the original context of your original post. But guns, crime, and drugs, and the havoc they cause on decent society are interconnected as one, debate shouldn't be between counting or recognizing deaths of drugs and deaths of guns. It's one number. And the differences of the damage from the two parties are massive, not the same.
