Banging Out The Fourth


I was working on another cartoon when I looked up at my muted TV and saw that America had another mass shooting.

Multiple shooters opened fire on a block party in Baltimore a little around midnight. Two people have been killed, an 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, and 28 others were injured. All 30 victims had bullet wounds. Authorities believe 14 of the victims were under 18 years old.

At this time, the shooters are still on the loose and a motive has not been given. The shooting spanned several blocks.

Governor Wes Moore said, “Maryland has had enough of watching gun violence continue to ravage our state and our nation. The fact that these horrific shootings continue to take place is abominable. We as a state will continue to do everything we can to prevent senseless acts of violence like the one we saw last night.

After Maryland passed several gun safety measures, the National Rifle Association sued the governor. The NRA proves time and time again that it serves the interests of murderers.

There was another shooting last night, this one at a nightclub in Wichita, Kansas. Seven people were shot but fortunately, there have been no deaths. A suspect is in custody though police say at least four weapons were discharged.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 338 mass shootings this year, and three in the first two days of July.

Last Fourth of July, there was a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois that killed seven and injured 48. I’m afraid of what this year’s Fourth of July will bring.

I was done drawing my previous cartoon when I decided to shelve it and do something on the latest mass shooting. I’ll color it tomorrow which should give me an easier day than I had today. I just spent all day Sunday working on two cartoons, and it’s 7:52 P.M. now. I haven’t eaten yet.

Also, this cartoon felt familiar to me so I searched to see if I had already drawn it before, but I couldn’t find it. Proofer Laura doesn’t remember seeing it either. So if I have drawn this previously and missed it, I apologize. I have done that before.

Music note: I listened to The Cars.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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4 thoughts on “Banging Out The Fourth”

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  1. I like the cartoon but not the state of senseless gun violence there is in the states. No other developed country has this problem – it is self inflicted, preserved by a few words written 200+ years ago and it’s about what, to look cool in front of your bro’s. Hope someday people wake the f*ck up and correct their mistakes. Cheers and thank you for what you do and bring to the forefront of these mass shootings.

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  2. I’ve lived in Baltimore all my life; 70 years come October. I have never been shot at and never been a victim of crime, though I know people who have been.

    A local newspaper (The Baltimore Banner) quoted a witness who called our city “Baltimore, Murderland.” Though
    we’ve long held a nasty (yet deserved) reputation as the Murder
    Capital [sic] of the nation, all of Baltimore is not crime-ridden. And there is so much blame to go around for this terrible incident. Neighbors in the Brooklyn neighborhood where the mass shooting occurred blamed the police for not showing up as they have in the past–this was an Annual block party for which police presence was usually expected and provided. The police blamed their shortage of officers (which they further blame on a Federal Consent Decree) for their poor showing. The Mayor and Governor trotted out the tired clichés about “senseless violence” being unacceptable–as if there’s such a thing as “sensible” violence–and harrumphed about how they’re doing everything possible to stop it. Their hand wringing will do nothing to stop the carnage.

    Inequities in housing, jobs, education, transportation, etc., are the true root of the violence in my city. Until these issues are addressed (and I’m not holding my breath waiting for that to happen), the carnage will, unfortunately, continue.

    The weather–countless days of Code Orange and Code Red Air Quality–doesn’t help either.

    If I sound jaded and tired, it’s because I am. America was built on violence as much as it was built on ideals.

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