Peter yearwood

Gun Violence

How do we stop it? There is no ‘’sure-fire” way to stop it. Every organization has different views on gun violence. One factor always comes up: "mental illness" seems to be the cause of most acts of mass shootings. The thing is, only a small percentage of gun violence is committed by people with mental disorders. What about the everyday gun violence which adds up to thousands of people - men, women and children - injured or killed each year? How do we put the brakes on that?

Personally, I believe that all members of a community, whether you are teachers, clergy, parents or every day Joe, can contribute. The NYC police department makes a request of the citizens of New York: "If you see something, say something". I would like to add to that: " If you know something, do something". It’s not snitching. “The life you save could be your own”. In many communities, residents know who these shooters are, but won't step up and do something for fear of retaliation. There is strength in numbers. Community is a powerful word. You can't have a community without ‘unity’. When entire communities come together things will change. Stopping gun violence in one community could trigger a national movement that would put the brakes on gun violence. 

Someone has to step up, but who? Don't wait for it to come knocking at your door. America has always been a country that comes together for a common cause. If gun violence isn't a common cause, I don't know what is. Gun violence has reached epidemic levels. Most politicians talk about gun control after there’s been a mass shooting. They want gun shops to stop selling assault weapons, but here is the thing: a semi- automatic handgun holds between 7 and 18 bullets. That is 7 or 18 lives lost. Is it less of a tragedy to lose fewer lives, more of a tragedy to lose more lives? One is too many. There is the old cliche: "guns don't kill, people do". Well, how about if there were no guns? There would be no gun violence. 

I get it, gun ownership is umbrellaed under the second amendment. Maybe it's time to look at that second amendment. Or at least the second part of it. The entire second amendment reads "a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". The second part? No, let's analyze the whole thing:

1. “A well-regulated militia is a supplementary military when there is no military in case of an emergency. It is made up entirely of civilians.” That was not written for the times we are living in now. OK, so keep the first part, just reword it so it would apply to law enforcement and military who would be able to carry weapons. Now, here comes part two: 

2. “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Who are these people that have the right to own guns? Some people believe this is their unalienable right (or as Donald Trump says,’God given’). Not so. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights given to every human by the creator, or whomever or whatever you believe to be the creator of life. 

America has the highest rate of gun violence on the planet. How is this possible? When you read the 2nd amendment it gives every American the right to own a gun. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out why there is so much gun violence. No matter how the law varies from state to state, that law was written by the people and for the people. So, who has the power to change the status quo? It would seem that everyone would like to put the brakes on gun violence, yet have the right to own a gun. To solve this problem, you would think, is simple: no guns, no gun violence. But this will never happen because of all the politics involved. Politicians and gun control organizations have been trying to come to terms with this problem since the 1960’s, when handgun violence spiked in America. 

As we move forward into the future there does not seem to be any resolve for the malignant disease of gun violence. It is difficult to change the second amendment because of the millions who will ‘stick to their guns’ (pun intended), literally because they are law abiding, responsible gun owners. As I write this, and as someone reads this, people are being killed or disabled by gun violence. So, how do we stop it? Let’s start by looking at community involvement, as it’s being done in Oakland California and other U.S Cities: 
https://giffords.org/press-release/2019/04/ugv-a-case-study-in-hope/ 

In most communities residents do not trust the police or are afraid of them but let's face it, these are the people we rely on to make it safe for us. The program in Oakland focuses on building relationships within the community to combat Gun violence or gun related violence. Gun Violence in Oakland has been cut in half using consistent community based programs effectively. Children today face so many challenges in their communities: drugs, gun violence, domestic violence, having to go through shooter drills and metal detectors at school—a place where they should feel safe to concentrate on their education. They didn't ask for this status quo, they inherited it. 

Many of us were part of this problem. It is right that we start becoming a part of the solution by creating opportunities for children at risk. We can start now by giving them the tools they will need. We can educate them on the dangers of gun violence and drug abuse. We also need to create space in their communities where they can make their voices heard, be it with a pen, a microphone or a paintbrush. These should be run by trained professionals, as shown in the Giffords law report. Most of all, we need to give them love, because they will be the change-makers of the future.