No wonder people that have never been to Chicago think that if they come here, they are going to get shot. As of April 26th, Chicago had seen 113 victims of homicide. That's the same number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan during the same period. And the overwhelming majority of those homicides were due to gun violence. If you want proof, go to this site for tracking homicides in Chicago. It's gotten so bad in the city that several state representatives have suggested bringing in the National Guard to help stop the violence. While that may be a temporary solution, what's needed is stricter gun laws. And not just in Chicago but all over the U.S.
Check out some statistics that the Brady Campaign has put together:
- Every year, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are shot or killed with a gun
- Since 1968, over 1 million people have been killed by guns in the U.S.
- Our looser gun laws show: in 2006 our firearm homicide rate was 6 times that of Canada, 13 times that of Germany, 15 times that of Austria, 26 times that of Australia and Spain, and 31 times that of England and Wales
- In 2008, 67% of homicides were committed by guns
- A gun in the home is 7 times more likely to be used in assault or homicide than in self defense and guns are used to threaten or intimidate 4-6 times more than they are used to prevent a crime (and those gun-toting, violence-glorifying 2nd-amendment nutjobs argue that the answer is MORE people owning guns to protect themselves... INSANE!)
I won't pretend that I've ever been a proponent of gun ownership. I'll never understand how people can rationalize owning a handgun and wanting to carry a concealed weapon. In my mind, that can only lead to more gun violence. But that's a huge element in our society. And they are powerful. Did you know that Tennessee just passed a law allowing handgun owners to carry a weapon into any establishment that serves alcohol? Of course, they have to do it responsibly and can't drink alcohol or else they face fines. Yeah right, that will work. Are people absolutely f***in' nuts? And in Georgia you can now carry your gun into certain parts of the airport. Why, people? WHY? WHY IS THAT NECESSARY!? I know of two states that I've never been to that I will continue to stay out of.
I know I'm generalizing but I'm guessing that most of these NRA member, 2nd-amendment supporters live in BFE middle of nowhere... places were gun violence isn't a multiple-daily occurrence. So I propose a program to get these people to see the other side of gun ownership and the consequences of lax gun control. We fly them into cities like Chicago and force them to go to the funeral of every child killed senselessly by a gun. They could start with the funeral of someone like Cynia Cole, who was only a year old. Make them witness a mother or father's anguish. They could also attend several funerals for one family that lost 4 members who were shot to death in their own home (pictured at the top).
It must be easy to argue for the right to carry handguns when the only thing that threatens you is a rogue pheasant. Come to Chicago and we'll stick you on the south side where unfortunately the gun violence occurs most often in this town.
3 comments:
Would the tougher gun laws really affect the people on the south side and other areas like it? I would be willing to bet 90% of the guns they have weren't obtained legally to begin with. So, I think it is a tougher problem to fix than simply changing the gun laws. I think it starts with education. Sad situation in most urban areas.
Mayor Bloomberg in NYC has been engaged in a lot of high profile actions on the gun issue. Many of the guns used in crimes in the City are bought using the "gun show loophole" where there are no background checks, or through straw purchasers. In my view, we need both more stringent laws and better enforcement of existing laws, along with education and other efforts to change the culture of violence.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-bloomberg/gun-show-undercover_b_312339.html
The very fact that criminals can obtain guns illegally so easily argues for stricter gun control. Someone at some point probably obtained them legally before they got into the hands of the wrong person and so that person was likely in turn irresponsible and should never have been able to get them legally themselves. But we don't ask enough questions or run stringent enough background checks... or else people find ways around them. There has to be a way for it to work more effectively - look at other countries with stricter gun control laws! We unfortunately are at the mercy of the powerful lobbyists who value their 2nd-amendment rights above all else.
Education is a joke when we can't even provide funding to employ enough teachers. This country is f'd if it doesn't eventually get its priorities straightened out.
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