Citing The Obvious
How does one start an entry other than asking a question of where we have gone wrong. There is an epidemic within this nation of violence, and with the exception of the local level, and those whose lives have been destroyed by gun violence, there seems to be a blind eye taken. I myself am not sure if we as a society have become complacent, apathetic, or if it's a situation of Pandora’s box, but why have we accepted being a nation of high levels of mortality by the hands of others. I'm sorry if the question is naive, but I just don't understand!
Nationally, news wise, we are only shown grotesque and extreme examples of what is occurring, and for many if it's not happening in your front yard, then it's not happening. But of course that is not the case at all, it's real and it's happening. And at a very statistically alarming rate. Yesterday was yet another example of this very same thing.
Right outside my city, 10 girls were shot execution style in their school room, 5 have now died. These children were/are aged 6-13, and had never known their killer. This shooting has so many similarities to the shooting in Colorado last week that authorities were first wondering if it were a "copycat". Both cases were obvious suicides by police, as some piece of shit felt the need to hurt and take as many with them before ending their own sad pathetic lives.
Most of you know I live in Philadelphia, in a low income neighborhood where unfortunately there is a higer rate than in other neighborhoods, but we as a city collectively are facing an epidemic that has everyone, and I mean everyone looking over their shoulders.
As of Aug 9, 2006:
"Philadelphia police said 239 people have been victims of homicide as of yesterday, a 9.6 percent increase over the number of deaths at this time last year. And the number of homicides in 2005 was 15 percent higher than the previous year."
This figure has already risen an alarming amount within the almost 2 months since this figure was released. One of the most recent the past weekend of a 5 year old killed while sitting in a car with her mother, because two dealers were having a shootout half a block away.
Meanwhile, nationally:
"In a single year, 3,012 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States, according to the latest national data released in 2002. That is one child every three hours; eight children every day; and more than 50 children every week. And every year, at least 4 to 5 times as many kids and teens suffer from non-fatal firearm injuries."
ONE CHILD EVERY THREE HOURS!!! Why do "we the people" allow this, and accept it as "our daily truths"? Our gun laws are flat out a joke. A JOKE!!! I am a firm believer in the constitution, and actually am not necessarily pro to the frivolous amendments that have occurred over the years, but I am so sick of people hiding behind the second amendment due to their own cowardice or sense of entitlement.
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 context in which this amendment was originally drafted was needed in 1787 while we were still in our infant imperialistic beginnings. But here in the year of 2006 to have some yokel scream "2nd amendment infringement" when there is an out cry of reforming current gun laws obviously is a person who has never had to bury another due to being shot. But then we are bitchslapped with the realality at hand....what to do with the ones currently on the street. Sadly, even if we were to reform ourlaws, which we do need to do, as any schmo can purchase at a show, how do we remove what is already in the hands of people....hence my quandry of Pandora's box.
Unfortunately, I don't see a way to truly end this entry, mainly because this is such an open ended problem. But when will "we the people" say enough! We scream of how civilized of a nation we as Americans are, meanwhile the numbers say something horrifically different American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States.
Nationally, news wise, we are only shown grotesque and extreme examples of what is occurring, and for many if it's not happening in your front yard, then it's not happening. But of course that is not the case at all, it's real and it's happening. And at a very statistically alarming rate. Yesterday was yet another example of this very same thing.
Right outside my city, 10 girls were shot execution style in their school room, 5 have now died. These children were/are aged 6-13, and had never known their killer. This shooting has so many similarities to the shooting in Colorado last week that authorities were first wondering if it were a "copycat". Both cases were obvious suicides by police, as some piece of shit felt the need to hurt and take as many with them before ending their own sad pathetic lives.
Most of you know I live in Philadelphia, in a low income neighborhood where unfortunately there is a higer rate than in other neighborhoods, but we as a city collectively are facing an epidemic that has everyone, and I mean everyone looking over their shoulders.
As of Aug 9, 2006:
"Philadelphia police said 239 people have been victims of homicide as of yesterday, a 9.6 percent increase over the number of deaths at this time last year. And the number of homicides in 2005 was 15 percent higher than the previous year."
This figure has already risen an alarming amount within the almost 2 months since this figure was released. One of the most recent the past weekend of a 5 year old killed while sitting in a car with her mother, because two dealers were having a shootout half a block away.
Meanwhile, nationally:
"In a single year, 3,012 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States, according to the latest national data released in 2002. That is one child every three hours; eight children every day; and more than 50 children every week. And every year, at least 4 to 5 times as many kids and teens suffer from non-fatal firearm injuries."
ONE CHILD EVERY THREE HOURS!!! Why do "we the people" allow this, and accept it as "our daily truths"? Our gun laws are flat out a joke. A JOKE!!! I am a firm believer in the constitution, and actually am not necessarily pro to the frivolous amendments that have occurred over the years, but I am so sick of people hiding behind the second amendment due to their own cowardice or sense of entitlement.
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 context in which this amendment was originally drafted was needed in 1787 while we were still in our infant imperialistic beginnings. But here in the year of 2006 to have some yokel scream "2nd amendment infringement" when there is an out cry of reforming current gun laws obviously is a person who has never had to bury another due to being shot. But then we are bitchslapped with the realality at hand....what to do with the ones currently on the street. Sadly, even if we were to reform ourlaws, which we do need to do, as any schmo can purchase at a show, how do we remove what is already in the hands of people....hence my quandry of Pandora's box.
Unfortunately, I don't see a way to truly end this entry, mainly because this is such an open ended problem. But when will "we the people" say enough! We scream of how civilized of a nation we as Americans are, meanwhile the numbers say something horrifically different American children are more at risk from firearms than the children of any other industrialized nation. In one year, firearms killed no children in Japan, 19 in Great Britain, 57 in Germany, 109 in France, 153 in Canada, and 5,285 in the United States.