My China series continues today, but first, a few comments on mass shootings in the USA.  From the   New York Times   this morning: If anything, the chart, which uses data from 2017 and 2018, understates America’s problem. The U.S. rate of gun homicides has increased in recent years, according to the Small Arms Survey. The data exposes a clear trend: Where there are more guns, there are more gun deaths. Studies have found this to be true at the state and national level, and for homicides, suicides, mass shootings and   police shootings . Stricter regulations on firearms   are linked to fewer gun deaths . The latest  Lunar New Year Monterey Park incident was the  33rd Mass Shooting of 2023 .   The month isn't yet over.   Eleven killed, and the deadliest in the U.S. since the May 2022 Uvalde, Texas tragedy.  There were  647 of these last year, and more than 44,000 people  in the country died due to gun violence.  It's pretty clear why. Why?  Too many guns, Republicans, the Nati