As I declared in my Second Amendment series, I do support the right for individual Americans to own and bear arms. But I do not support the right of people to go out and kill our law enforcement officers. I am NOT saying that law enforcement officers had the right to shoot the people they stopped in Louisiana and Minnesota - far from it - but when Americans (or any other populace) take the law into their own hands and kill for no reason, I consider that anarchy.
No one person has the right to decide who lives and who dies in America. The people, or person, who shot the law enforcement officers at a protest in Dallas committed a heinous crime. That same heinous crime was committed in Louisiana and Minnesota, by law officers. But I ask you, if your son or daughter was in law enforcement, in your home state, should he (or she) become a target of hatred because of the death of another person in another state? That is just stupid and ridiculous.
I grew up in Florida during the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. I grew up with segregation and, then, integration. I was, occasionally, threatened, by females of my own age, but with another color of skin. That initially frightened me - until I realized they were threatening me because they, too, were frightened. I became best friends with one of those girls in school. - No big deal.
But what I see in the United States today is very frightening to me. A few people who own a gun/weapon, are making a lot of noise by killing other people who don't deserve to die, and that, in turn, makes it difficult for those people who own a gun/weapon (who keep it safely and fire it legally) to say they are a gun owner without an immediate backlash. .... I know that there are people who rob banking institutions in America. I know that some type of bank robbery occurs daily in America. Bank robberies hurt everyone involved with banking. However, there are very few people shot to death during a bank robbery on a daily basis. .... This is not true when it comes to gun violence in the United States.
If I lived in another country, I believe I'd be afraid to visit the USA on a vacation, to see the sights. One can read every day about someone being killed or wounded by an American in our country. And the vast majority of those killed and/or wounded are innocent bystanders. The numbers can be found, easily; and they are overwhelming. They scare me, and I'm a life-long citizen.
Death is a terribly final thing. We, as American citizens, must put an end to our country's increasing gun violence. Soon, there will be only one person left standing, and they will have in their hand, a smoking gun.....
Showing posts with label weapons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weapons. Show all posts
Friday, July 8, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part VII (Last)
I'm at the end of my "preaching" or "informing" or "grand-standing" about our Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. It was passed into law on 15 December 1791. It states: "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."
I support the ownership and use of firearms. As I stated before, I do not own one, myself. Many of my relatives and friends own and use their guns - and I'm happy to support their right and legal freedom to do so. All of my friends who own firearms have a locked and safe storage area for their guns and ammunition. They practice shooting at ranges and in competitions. They hunt wildlife for their tables - they don't go out and shoot a deer or elk for trophy antlers - they preserve and eat the bounty of the beast's body. I have eaten deer, elk, rabbit, alligator, and turtle meat, along with other livestock bred for the table. A lot of residents of Alaska are subsistence hunters, and the only meat they eat is the wildlife they kill and process themselves.
In the last 72 hours, three headlines caught my attention - all three dealing with gun violence. In Fort Worth, Texas, at an unauthorized party at a nonprofit "Safe Place" dance studio, there was a gang related shooting, according to police investigators. Two people died and at least five more were injured. Also in Texas, in the city of Katy, a mother shot and killed her two daughters, aged 22 and 17, in the street outside their home. When police arrived, the woman refused to put her gun down. An officer had to shoot her. That made three dead in a family. And, finally, in East Orange, New Jersey, a 6-year-old boy found his mother's loaded pistol. He was playing with it and shot his 4-year-old brother in the head. The 6-year-old is now a killer.
I believe that gun laws need to be reformed and re-stated. When the Constitution was written, and the Second Amendment passed, the 6-pound cannon and the flintlock black powder rifle were most efficient weapons of the time.
I believe that normal citizens of the United States should be allowed to purchase a pistol or revolver, a rifle or a shotgun. But I also believe that semi-automatic and automatic firing systems for these weapons should not be allowed - except for the use by SWAT teams and our military personnel.
I don't believe that a box magazine that will hold more than ten cartridges should be sold to the average, every-day United States citizen. I think that a person who purchases a gun in the United States should have to pass a background check and a psychological test. Every gun owner should have to pass a knowledge and safety test. I also believe that it should be the law in every state that arms should be kept in locked safe boxes, except when traveling to or from the shooting range, or on the way to a hunt.
You don't need an AK-47 to hunt for a deer. You don't need a 30 to 50 cartridge magazine to put dinner on the table. If you need either for the purpose I stated, then you shouldn't be allowed to shoot or own a weapon.
I can see that in certain shooting competitions, one might want a large magazine to pursue some "fancy shooting" of targets. I believe that the law should make sure that only accredited gun competitions would be allowed to have large box magazines - for competition only. - Of course, I would want to allow our Armed Forces and Law Enforcement officers to use their discretion for their specific needs.
Are these things too much to ask for in a so-called civilized society? I think not.
I support the ownership and use of firearms. As I stated before, I do not own one, myself. Many of my relatives and friends own and use their guns - and I'm happy to support their right and legal freedom to do so. All of my friends who own firearms have a locked and safe storage area for their guns and ammunition. They practice shooting at ranges and in competitions. They hunt wildlife for their tables - they don't go out and shoot a deer or elk for trophy antlers - they preserve and eat the bounty of the beast's body. I have eaten deer, elk, rabbit, alligator, and turtle meat, along with other livestock bred for the table. A lot of residents of Alaska are subsistence hunters, and the only meat they eat is the wildlife they kill and process themselves.
In the last 72 hours, three headlines caught my attention - all three dealing with gun violence. In Fort Worth, Texas, at an unauthorized party at a nonprofit "Safe Place" dance studio, there was a gang related shooting, according to police investigators. Two people died and at least five more were injured. Also in Texas, in the city of Katy, a mother shot and killed her two daughters, aged 22 and 17, in the street outside their home. When police arrived, the woman refused to put her gun down. An officer had to shoot her. That made three dead in a family. And, finally, in East Orange, New Jersey, a 6-year-old boy found his mother's loaded pistol. He was playing with it and shot his 4-year-old brother in the head. The 6-year-old is now a killer.
I believe that gun laws need to be reformed and re-stated. When the Constitution was written, and the Second Amendment passed, the 6-pound cannon and the flintlock black powder rifle were most efficient weapons of the time.
I believe that normal citizens of the United States should be allowed to purchase a pistol or revolver, a rifle or a shotgun. But I also believe that semi-automatic and automatic firing systems for these weapons should not be allowed - except for the use by SWAT teams and our military personnel.
I don't believe that a box magazine that will hold more than ten cartridges should be sold to the average, every-day United States citizen. I think that a person who purchases a gun in the United States should have to pass a background check and a psychological test. Every gun owner should have to pass a knowledge and safety test. I also believe that it should be the law in every state that arms should be kept in locked safe boxes, except when traveling to or from the shooting range, or on the way to a hunt.
You don't need an AK-47 to hunt for a deer. You don't need a 30 to 50 cartridge magazine to put dinner on the table. If you need either for the purpose I stated, then you shouldn't be allowed to shoot or own a weapon.
I can see that in certain shooting competitions, one might want a large magazine to pursue some "fancy shooting" of targets. I believe that the law should make sure that only accredited gun competitions would be allowed to have large box magazines - for competition only. - Of course, I would want to allow our Armed Forces and Law Enforcement officers to use their discretion for their specific needs.
Are these things too much to ask for in a so-called civilized society? I think not.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part VI
As an American, I was raised to believe in, and still do believe that as an American, I have "the right to bear arms." I have fired a pistol, and I've fired a rifle, and I've fired a shotgun. I've killed eight large rattlesnakes on farm property in Florida, using all three types of weapons. I am definitely not against the Second Amendment - but looking at facts and statistics make me wonder if all Americans, other than felons, should be able to purchase a gun.
Here are 15 incontrovertible gun facts that were first published on 23 December 2015.
"There were the six children, their mother and her boyfriend in Houston, Texas. The nine worshippers in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. the 53-year-old father who tried to stop three men from ransacking a metalworker's minivan in Brooklyn. The 28-year-old mother of two in Indianapolis whose new husband shot her in the face 13 times. The two young reporters shot to death during a live news broadcast in Moneta, Virginia. And the thousands just like them whose deaths did not make the front page.
While many victims' names may quickly disappear from the public eye, their stories live on in the statistics that help us to understand the scale of gun violence in the United States. Below is a compilation of numbers that added up to a significant year in gun debate in 2015.
1. As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting or murder/suicide. On an average day in 2015, 36 Americans were killed by guns, a number that excludes most suicides. According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit website that scours more than 1,500 sources to track gun deaths and injuries in the US, there have been more than 50,000 incidents of gun violence in 2015. The numbers include everything from homicides and multiple-victim gang assaults to incidents of self-defense and accidental shootings. The organization's records show that more than 12,000 people have been killed with guns this year, but what the numbers do not record - due to government reporting practices - is a massive hole in the data: the nearly 20,000 Americans who end their lives with a gun each year. Nor does its already high injury tally capture the full extent of the victims who continue life with debilitating wounds and crushing medical bills. When the federal statistics for 2015 are released two years from now, the government's models will show tens of thousands more gun-related injuries.
2. Terrorism dominates headlines and budget lines while a more lethal scourge persists at home. From 2005 to 2015, 71 Americans were killed on US soil in terrorist attacks. 301,797 people were killed via gun violence in the same period. In his remarks following the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College on October 1, President Obama said he knew his outrage over the country's unrelenting gun violence would be interpreted by critics as "politicizing" the issue. Fine, he said, and asked news organizations to check the facts: "Tally up the number of Americans who've been killed through terrorist attacks over the last decade and the number of Americans who've been killed by gun violence, and post those side-by-side." Several did, and Obama's point was made: Amid the government's massive, justifiable effort to squelch terror threats, comparatively little has been done to address a problem that has claimed exponentially more US lives. According to an October poll, 40 percent of Americans say they know someone who was fatally shot, or committed suicide, with a gun.
3. Mass shootings - as measured by four or more people shot, regardless of total fatalities - have taken place in nearly 100 metropolitan areas over the last 12 months. Austin, Texas is the only city with a population of 400,000 or more that has not experienced a mass shooting since 2013. The Mass Shooting Tracker counts domestic homicides in its tally, as well as sprays of gunfire that wound several people at once - but often are not counted among the San Bernardinos or Umpquas because the victims survived. Two such incidents occurred on Father's Day this year, when 10 people were shot at a block party in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 12 people were shot at a child's birthday party in Detroit, Michigan.
4. The vast majority of the nation's gun violence does not look like Umpqua or Charleston or San Bernardino. Mass shootings account for less than 2 % of annual gun deaths. Though mass shootings demand nonstop coverage, it's the shootings taking place in parking lots, bars, schools, bedrooms, and street corners across America that are responsible for most gun injuries and deaths.
5. Black men are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Of the 30 Americans murdered with guns on the average day in America, roughly 50 % of the victims are black men, who make up only 6 % of the population. A November ProPublica article noted that half of American gun death victims are men of color in "poor, segregated neighborhoods that have little political clout." Timothy Heaphy, a former US attorney in Virginia, says this is precisely why they don't capture the public's attention. "I don't think we care about African-American lives as much as we care about white lives," he said.
6. At a rate of more than twice a day, someone under 18 has been shot and killed. At least 756 American children have been killed by gunfire this year. A remarkable 75 % of children killed with guns this year have been under the age of 12. Since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, three years ago, an American child under 12 has died by intentional and accidental gunfire every other day. And these children are far more likely to die from guns held by family members and acquaintances than by strangers, according to FBI data. - On August 18, 9-year-old Jamyla Bolden was killed by a bullet fired into her Ferguson, Missouri home as she did her homework on her bed. "Usually when we hear gunshots, she's the first one who yells, 'Mom, they're shooting!'" her mother told KMOV, a local news station. "I noticed Jamyla wasn't saying anything. That's the main thing I remember; her not moving."
7. Unsecured guns have turned dozens of toddlers into killers - and many more into victims. In 2015, on average, a toddler in America shoots someone about once a week. 19 toddlers have killed themselves, while 25 more injured themselves. 13 toddlers injured other people and 2 toddlers killed other people. Children younger than 3 have gotten hold of guns and shot someone at least 59 times in 2015, which is a disturbing trend. Gun violence prevention advocates say that gun storage requirements and the adoption of smart guns that only fire for their owners could reduce these deaths, but the gun lobby vehemently opposes such mandates. In November, 20 Democrats in the US Senate asked the Government Accountability Office to issue a report on the safe storage of guns in American homes.
8. Guns are now ending as many American lives as cars. Americans die in car accidents at a rate of 10.3 deaths per 100,000 people. The key reason for the numerical convergence is the climb in gun suicide rates. The comparative mortality rates come from CDC figures released in December. They reflect a larger story: While motor vehicles have been getting progressively safer, guns have killed people at a consistent clip over the past 15 years. Unpacking the numbers further reveals that firearm fatalities are holding steady, while suicides by firearm have climbed along with the number of guns in circulation. Some people theorize that medical advances are saving shooting victims who formerly would have died of their injuries.
9. A gun in a troubled home continues to raise the risk of death. Domestic violence assaults with firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than those without them. This enduring statistic from a decade-old California Attorney General report emphasizes just how dangerous it is to introduce firearms into a turbulent relationship. In no state is that more pronounced than in South Carolina, which ranks first in the rate of women killed by men - a rate that is more than twice the national average. After several frustrated starts, South Carolina finally passed legislation this year limiting firearms access for domestic abusers - along with Alabama, Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. But 17 states still do not have their own equivalent of a federal law banning criminal domestic misdemeanants from possessing guns, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. - In one of those states, Georgia, Vanessa Soyer was gunned down in front of her 13-year-old son in their Lawrenceville apartment on November 16. A mother of four, the Harlem-bred Soyer, 47, was the author of a book about domestic violence. Her husband of 15 years, from whom she was in the process of separating, was arrested for her murder. "Nobody would've ever thought that the words from the pages of her book would become her reality," her GoFundMe page reads.
10. Gun sales continued at a blistering pace in 2015. The FBI processed a record-setting 185,345 background checks on Black Friday. The same day that Robert Lewis Dear opened fire at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing three people and wounding nine, the FBI reported 5 % more NICS checks than Black Friday the previous year, setting an all-time single-day record. If each of those checks resulted in a gun sale, it would mean that Americans bought enough new firearms on that day to arm every active duty US Marine.
11. Eight percent of gun owners own a stockpile of 10 or more weapons. In the United States, there are more people who own 10 or more guns than the entire population of Denmark. In an online survey of 3,000 people, Harvard's Injury Control Research Center found that 22 percent of Americans professed to own guns - and that 25 % of those gun owners have five or more guns. The Center's director, Dr David Hemenway, said that guns in fewer hands might actually lower rates of gun suicide and accidental shootings. But the fact that these gun owners feel they must compile an arsenal raises another set of questions. "Who are these people and why do they have so, so many guns?" Hemenway asked. "And are they really responsible?"
12. Tens of thousands more stolen guns entered the illegal market - many a result of theft. Less than 10 % of stolen firearms are recovered, as measured by their retail value. - The advisories echoed from sheriffs in Jacksonville, Florida; St Louis, Missouri; and Lafayette, Louisiana: Lock up your guns. More than 400 firearms were stolen from cars in Duval County, Florida this year - and 60 % of them were from unlocked cars. In St Louis, reports of gun theft were up 70 % in August, and cars and trucks were targeted far more than homes. A gun stolen out of a car in Lafayette was used to wound a police officer last year, and in Pinellas County, Florida, a gun stolen from an unlocked car was used to kill another officer. Stolen guns, which are increasingly showing up at crime scenes were called "the engine of violence in Chicago" by police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi in August. The increase in such thefts has sparked a debate about personal responsibility and gun ownership. The town of Orange, Connecticut went so far as to charge a resident with misdemeanor reckless endangerment after her reported his loaded .38-caliber revolver stolen from his admittedly unlocked truck. Pro-gun advocates argue that stadiums and schools should be removed from gun-free zone designations, so people can carry their guns with them, instead of leaving them in their cars. The bottom line, says Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, is "be a responsible gun owner, take care of your weapon, lock it up."
13. American cities continue to seize illegal guns at an astounding rate. Chicago police have been taking one illegal gun off the street every 74 minutes this year. Officers in Little Rock, Arkansas took 118 guns of their streets as of November. And in Baltimore, Maryland, police estimate they've seized nearly 3,500 illegal guns in the last 12 months.
14. Tyshawn Lee was the second 9-year-old boy murdered in Chicago in the last 15 months. The gunshot wounds to his temples had to be sealed with wax. He wore a white tuxedo, red bow tie, white gloves, and red size 5 gator-skin shoes; his 25-year-old mother wore a white dress and a red hat to match. Tyshawn Lee was the second 9-year-old boy to be targeted and killed by gangs in the last 15 months in Chicago. He was lured from a swing set in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood and murdered in an alley because his father allegedly belonged to a gang that may have been involved in the murder of the brother of one of the suspects.
15. The 114th Congress is still hesitant to engage with the gun issue. On 16 December 2015, Congress held its 25th moment of silence honoring gun violence victims since the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting. At a hearing on the third anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, California Representative Mike Thompson, chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, noted that Congress has held more than two dozen moments of silence since the massacre - but has not approved any gun safety bills. In March of 2015, Thompson, a Democrat, and Representative Peter King of New York, a Republican, introduced a bipartisan bill that would implement background checks on private gun sales. Since then, it's been bouncing from one House subcommittee to another. - This was also the year that saw a backlash against politicians who offer "thoughts and prayers" after mass shootings, but no legislative action. Left-leaning reporters noticed that the same lawmakers who only offered empty platitudes were highly rated by the NRA. On the evening of the San Bernardino shooting, Igor Volsky, a contributing editor at ThinkProgress, began Twitter-shaming them. One by one, he replied to three dozen Republican legislators' "thoughts and prayers" tweets with the amount of funds that were given them by the NRA - a total of $12.5 million. "
On Wednesday, 22 June 2016, Representative John Lewis launched a peaceful sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives that eventually drew 170 lawmakers. The sit-in lit up social media and infuriated House republicans, who claimed that the Democrats had launched "chaos." Unfortunately, after more than 26 hours, no legislative action was taken; other than the Republicans closing down the House for the Fourth of July week. House Democrats were looking for votes to expand background checks and to ban gun sales to those people on the no-fly watch list.
- Please, just think about the numbers and the people mentioned above... -
Here are 15 incontrovertible gun facts that were first published on 23 December 2015.
"There were the six children, their mother and her boyfriend in Houston, Texas. The nine worshippers in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. the 53-year-old father who tried to stop three men from ransacking a metalworker's minivan in Brooklyn. The 28-year-old mother of two in Indianapolis whose new husband shot her in the face 13 times. The two young reporters shot to death during a live news broadcast in Moneta, Virginia. And the thousands just like them whose deaths did not make the front page.
While many victims' names may quickly disappear from the public eye, their stories live on in the statistics that help us to understand the scale of gun violence in the United States. Below is a compilation of numbers that added up to a significant year in gun debate in 2015.
1. As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting or murder/suicide. On an average day in 2015, 36 Americans were killed by guns, a number that excludes most suicides. According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit website that scours more than 1,500 sources to track gun deaths and injuries in the US, there have been more than 50,000 incidents of gun violence in 2015. The numbers include everything from homicides and multiple-victim gang assaults to incidents of self-defense and accidental shootings. The organization's records show that more than 12,000 people have been killed with guns this year, but what the numbers do not record - due to government reporting practices - is a massive hole in the data: the nearly 20,000 Americans who end their lives with a gun each year. Nor does its already high injury tally capture the full extent of the victims who continue life with debilitating wounds and crushing medical bills. When the federal statistics for 2015 are released two years from now, the government's models will show tens of thousands more gun-related injuries.
2. Terrorism dominates headlines and budget lines while a more lethal scourge persists at home. From 2005 to 2015, 71 Americans were killed on US soil in terrorist attacks. 301,797 people were killed via gun violence in the same period. In his remarks following the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College on October 1, President Obama said he knew his outrage over the country's unrelenting gun violence would be interpreted by critics as "politicizing" the issue. Fine, he said, and asked news organizations to check the facts: "Tally up the number of Americans who've been killed through terrorist attacks over the last decade and the number of Americans who've been killed by gun violence, and post those side-by-side." Several did, and Obama's point was made: Amid the government's massive, justifiable effort to squelch terror threats, comparatively little has been done to address a problem that has claimed exponentially more US lives. According to an October poll, 40 percent of Americans say they know someone who was fatally shot, or committed suicide, with a gun.
3. Mass shootings - as measured by four or more people shot, regardless of total fatalities - have taken place in nearly 100 metropolitan areas over the last 12 months. Austin, Texas is the only city with a population of 400,000 or more that has not experienced a mass shooting since 2013. The Mass Shooting Tracker counts domestic homicides in its tally, as well as sprays of gunfire that wound several people at once - but often are not counted among the San Bernardinos or Umpquas because the victims survived. Two such incidents occurred on Father's Day this year, when 10 people were shot at a block party in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 12 people were shot at a child's birthday party in Detroit, Michigan.
4. The vast majority of the nation's gun violence does not look like Umpqua or Charleston or San Bernardino. Mass shootings account for less than 2 % of annual gun deaths. Though mass shootings demand nonstop coverage, it's the shootings taking place in parking lots, bars, schools, bedrooms, and street corners across America that are responsible for most gun injuries and deaths.
5. Black men are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Of the 30 Americans murdered with guns on the average day in America, roughly 50 % of the victims are black men, who make up only 6 % of the population. A November ProPublica article noted that half of American gun death victims are men of color in "poor, segregated neighborhoods that have little political clout." Timothy Heaphy, a former US attorney in Virginia, says this is precisely why they don't capture the public's attention. "I don't think we care about African-American lives as much as we care about white lives," he said.
6. At a rate of more than twice a day, someone under 18 has been shot and killed. At least 756 American children have been killed by gunfire this year. A remarkable 75 % of children killed with guns this year have been under the age of 12. Since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, three years ago, an American child under 12 has died by intentional and accidental gunfire every other day. And these children are far more likely to die from guns held by family members and acquaintances than by strangers, according to FBI data. - On August 18, 9-year-old Jamyla Bolden was killed by a bullet fired into her Ferguson, Missouri home as she did her homework on her bed. "Usually when we hear gunshots, she's the first one who yells, 'Mom, they're shooting!'" her mother told KMOV, a local news station. "I noticed Jamyla wasn't saying anything. That's the main thing I remember; her not moving."
7. Unsecured guns have turned dozens of toddlers into killers - and many more into victims. In 2015, on average, a toddler in America shoots someone about once a week. 19 toddlers have killed themselves, while 25 more injured themselves. 13 toddlers injured other people and 2 toddlers killed other people. Children younger than 3 have gotten hold of guns and shot someone at least 59 times in 2015, which is a disturbing trend. Gun violence prevention advocates say that gun storage requirements and the adoption of smart guns that only fire for their owners could reduce these deaths, but the gun lobby vehemently opposes such mandates. In November, 20 Democrats in the US Senate asked the Government Accountability Office to issue a report on the safe storage of guns in American homes.
8. Guns are now ending as many American lives as cars. Americans die in car accidents at a rate of 10.3 deaths per 100,000 people. The key reason for the numerical convergence is the climb in gun suicide rates. The comparative mortality rates come from CDC figures released in December. They reflect a larger story: While motor vehicles have been getting progressively safer, guns have killed people at a consistent clip over the past 15 years. Unpacking the numbers further reveals that firearm fatalities are holding steady, while suicides by firearm have climbed along with the number of guns in circulation. Some people theorize that medical advances are saving shooting victims who formerly would have died of their injuries.
9. A gun in a troubled home continues to raise the risk of death. Domestic violence assaults with firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than those without them. This enduring statistic from a decade-old California Attorney General report emphasizes just how dangerous it is to introduce firearms into a turbulent relationship. In no state is that more pronounced than in South Carolina, which ranks first in the rate of women killed by men - a rate that is more than twice the national average. After several frustrated starts, South Carolina finally passed legislation this year limiting firearms access for domestic abusers - along with Alabama, Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. But 17 states still do not have their own equivalent of a federal law banning criminal domestic misdemeanants from possessing guns, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. - In one of those states, Georgia, Vanessa Soyer was gunned down in front of her 13-year-old son in their Lawrenceville apartment on November 16. A mother of four, the Harlem-bred Soyer, 47, was the author of a book about domestic violence. Her husband of 15 years, from whom she was in the process of separating, was arrested for her murder. "Nobody would've ever thought that the words from the pages of her book would become her reality," her GoFundMe page reads.
10. Gun sales continued at a blistering pace in 2015. The FBI processed a record-setting 185,345 background checks on Black Friday. The same day that Robert Lewis Dear opened fire at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing three people and wounding nine, the FBI reported 5 % more NICS checks than Black Friday the previous year, setting an all-time single-day record. If each of those checks resulted in a gun sale, it would mean that Americans bought enough new firearms on that day to arm every active duty US Marine.
11. Eight percent of gun owners own a stockpile of 10 or more weapons. In the United States, there are more people who own 10 or more guns than the entire population of Denmark. In an online survey of 3,000 people, Harvard's Injury Control Research Center found that 22 percent of Americans professed to own guns - and that 25 % of those gun owners have five or more guns. The Center's director, Dr David Hemenway, said that guns in fewer hands might actually lower rates of gun suicide and accidental shootings. But the fact that these gun owners feel they must compile an arsenal raises another set of questions. "Who are these people and why do they have so, so many guns?" Hemenway asked. "And are they really responsible?"
12. Tens of thousands more stolen guns entered the illegal market - many a result of theft. Less than 10 % of stolen firearms are recovered, as measured by their retail value. - The advisories echoed from sheriffs in Jacksonville, Florida; St Louis, Missouri; and Lafayette, Louisiana: Lock up your guns. More than 400 firearms were stolen from cars in Duval County, Florida this year - and 60 % of them were from unlocked cars. In St Louis, reports of gun theft were up 70 % in August, and cars and trucks were targeted far more than homes. A gun stolen out of a car in Lafayette was used to wound a police officer last year, and in Pinellas County, Florida, a gun stolen from an unlocked car was used to kill another officer. Stolen guns, which are increasingly showing up at crime scenes were called "the engine of violence in Chicago" by police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi in August. The increase in such thefts has sparked a debate about personal responsibility and gun ownership. The town of Orange, Connecticut went so far as to charge a resident with misdemeanor reckless endangerment after her reported his loaded .38-caliber revolver stolen from his admittedly unlocked truck. Pro-gun advocates argue that stadiums and schools should be removed from gun-free zone designations, so people can carry their guns with them, instead of leaving them in their cars. The bottom line, says Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, is "be a responsible gun owner, take care of your weapon, lock it up."
13. American cities continue to seize illegal guns at an astounding rate. Chicago police have been taking one illegal gun off the street every 74 minutes this year. Officers in Little Rock, Arkansas took 118 guns of their streets as of November. And in Baltimore, Maryland, police estimate they've seized nearly 3,500 illegal guns in the last 12 months.
14. Tyshawn Lee was the second 9-year-old boy murdered in Chicago in the last 15 months. The gunshot wounds to his temples had to be sealed with wax. He wore a white tuxedo, red bow tie, white gloves, and red size 5 gator-skin shoes; his 25-year-old mother wore a white dress and a red hat to match. Tyshawn Lee was the second 9-year-old boy to be targeted and killed by gangs in the last 15 months in Chicago. He was lured from a swing set in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood and murdered in an alley because his father allegedly belonged to a gang that may have been involved in the murder of the brother of one of the suspects.
15. The 114th Congress is still hesitant to engage with the gun issue. On 16 December 2015, Congress held its 25th moment of silence honoring gun violence victims since the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting. At a hearing on the third anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, California Representative Mike Thompson, chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, noted that Congress has held more than two dozen moments of silence since the massacre - but has not approved any gun safety bills. In March of 2015, Thompson, a Democrat, and Representative Peter King of New York, a Republican, introduced a bipartisan bill that would implement background checks on private gun sales. Since then, it's been bouncing from one House subcommittee to another. - This was also the year that saw a backlash against politicians who offer "thoughts and prayers" after mass shootings, but no legislative action. Left-leaning reporters noticed that the same lawmakers who only offered empty platitudes were highly rated by the NRA. On the evening of the San Bernardino shooting, Igor Volsky, a contributing editor at ThinkProgress, began Twitter-shaming them. One by one, he replied to three dozen Republican legislators' "thoughts and prayers" tweets with the amount of funds that were given them by the NRA - a total of $12.5 million. "
On Wednesday, 22 June 2016, Representative John Lewis launched a peaceful sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives that eventually drew 170 lawmakers. The sit-in lit up social media and infuriated House republicans, who claimed that the Democrats had launched "chaos." Unfortunately, after more than 26 hours, no legislative action was taken; other than the Republicans closing down the House for the Fourth of July week. House Democrats were looking for votes to expand background checks and to ban gun sales to those people on the no-fly watch list.
- Please, just think about the numbers and the people mentioned above... -
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part III
The exact language of the second amendment is: "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."
Arms are generally perceived as handguns and rifles. However, some arms are prohibited by law as a "destructive device." The old Kentucky rifle, if it had a round of .50 caliber (or 12.7 mm) or more, would not be currently construed as a destructive device - but the bullet would. Current law in the United States declares that any weapon that fires a projectile larger than .50 caliber is a destructive device. (For those of you unfamiliar with the caliber of a bullet, cartridge, or projectile, it is the with of the projectile, or round, at it's greatest width. In the US, we use the old measurements, so a .50 caliber bullet would be 1/2 inch wide.)
In the United States, a destructive device is a type of firearm or explosive device regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934, and revised by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and the Gun Control Act of 1968. Examples of destructive devices include grenades, and firearms with a bore over one half of an inch (.50 inches or 12.7 mm), including some rifles and shotguns, both semi-automatic and manually operated. While current federal laws allow destructive devices, some states have banned them from transfer to civilians. In states where they are banned, only law enforcement and military personnel are allowed to possess them.
All National Firearms Act firearms, including destructive devices, must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The definition of a "destructive device" is found in 26 U.S.C. § 584(f).
The definition reads as follows:
(1) Any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, (A) bomb, (B) grenade, (C) rocket having a propellant charge of more than four (4) ounces, (D) missile having an explosive charge of more than 1/4 ounce, (E) mine or (F) similar device.
(2) Any weapon by whatever name known which will, or which may be readily converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or other propellant, the barrel or barrels of which have a bore of more than one-half inch diameter (.50 inches or 12.7 mm), except a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Secretary finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes;
and
(3) Any combination of parts either designed or intended for use in converting any device into a destructive device as defined in subparagraphs (1) and (2) and from which a destructive device may be readily assembled.
The term destructive device shall not include any device which is neither designed nor redesigned for use as a weapon; any device, although originally designed for use as a weapon, which is redesigned for use as a signaling, pyrotechnic, line throwing, safety, or similar device; surplus ordinance sold, loaned or given by the Secretary of the Army, pursuant to the provisions of Section 4684(2), 4685, or 4686 of the Title 10 of the United States Code; or any other device the Secretary finds is not likely to be used as a weapon, or is an antique or is a rifle which the owner intends to use solely for sporting purposes.
The term "Secretary" originally referred to the Secretary of the Treasury, as the National Firearms Act is part of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Since the BATF's transfer to the Department of Justice in 2002, the term "Secretary" now refers to the Attorney General.
Muzzle-loading guns are not considered firearms in the United States and do not fall under the regulations of the National Firearms Act. However, their projectiles may still be subject to NFA regulation. For instance, a person may manufacture, possess and fire a black powder, muzzle-loading cannon of any bore diameter; but that person may not fire explosive shells from that cannon, as the explosive shell is, itself, defined as a destructive device.
Arms are generally perceived as handguns and rifles. However, some arms are prohibited by law as a "destructive device." The old Kentucky rifle, if it had a round of .50 caliber (or 12.7 mm) or more, would not be currently construed as a destructive device - but the bullet would. Current law in the United States declares that any weapon that fires a projectile larger than .50 caliber is a destructive device. (For those of you unfamiliar with the caliber of a bullet, cartridge, or projectile, it is the with of the projectile, or round, at it's greatest width. In the US, we use the old measurements, so a .50 caliber bullet would be 1/2 inch wide.)
In the United States, a destructive device is a type of firearm or explosive device regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934, and revised by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and the Gun Control Act of 1968. Examples of destructive devices include grenades, and firearms with a bore over one half of an inch (.50 inches or 12.7 mm), including some rifles and shotguns, both semi-automatic and manually operated. While current federal laws allow destructive devices, some states have banned them from transfer to civilians. In states where they are banned, only law enforcement and military personnel are allowed to possess them.
All National Firearms Act firearms, including destructive devices, must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The definition of a "destructive device" is found in 26 U.S.C. § 584(f).
The definition reads as follows:
(1) Any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, (A) bomb, (B) grenade, (C) rocket having a propellant charge of more than four (4) ounces, (D) missile having an explosive charge of more than 1/4 ounce, (E) mine or (F) similar device.
(2) Any weapon by whatever name known which will, or which may be readily converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or other propellant, the barrel or barrels of which have a bore of more than one-half inch diameter (.50 inches or 12.7 mm), except a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Secretary finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes;
and
(3) Any combination of parts either designed or intended for use in converting any device into a destructive device as defined in subparagraphs (1) and (2) and from which a destructive device may be readily assembled.
The term destructive device shall not include any device which is neither designed nor redesigned for use as a weapon; any device, although originally designed for use as a weapon, which is redesigned for use as a signaling, pyrotechnic, line throwing, safety, or similar device; surplus ordinance sold, loaned or given by the Secretary of the Army, pursuant to the provisions of Section 4684(2), 4685, or 4686 of the Title 10 of the United States Code; or any other device the Secretary finds is not likely to be used as a weapon, or is an antique or is a rifle which the owner intends to use solely for sporting purposes.
The term "Secretary" originally referred to the Secretary of the Treasury, as the National Firearms Act is part of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Since the BATF's transfer to the Department of Justice in 2002, the term "Secretary" now refers to the Attorney General.
Muzzle-loading guns are not considered firearms in the United States and do not fall under the regulations of the National Firearms Act. However, their projectiles may still be subject to NFA regulation. For instance, a person may manufacture, possess and fire a black powder, muzzle-loading cannon of any bore diameter; but that person may not fire explosive shells from that cannon, as the explosive shell is, itself, defined as a destructive device.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part II
On 15 December 1791, the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America were passed by Congress. The first ten amendments are known in the United States as "The Bill of Rights." The exact language of the second amendment is: "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." This Amendment II has not had the wording, or intent, changed since it was voted into national law, by the U S Congress, since 15 December 1791. That was 224 years and 6 months ago. At that point in time, the population of the United States was about 4 million. There were 13 states, the population density was 4.5 people per square mile, and 90 % of the heads of households considered their occupation to be a farmer. Today, the current population of the USA is about 320 million in 50 states, with a population density of 91 people per square mile. We have grown, as a nation, quite a bit...
Back in 1791, the most up-to-date weapon, that a person could easily carry, was the Kentucky rifle - also known as the long rifle, and as the Pennsylvania rifle, since it was developed and subsequently produced in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. This rifle was used by Americans in the French and Indian War, the American Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. This was a black powder flintlock single shot rifle. It generally weighed 7 to 10 pounds, and the length was between 54 and 74 inches; the barrel itself could be 32 to over 48 inches in length. The caliber of the rifle also varied, from .25 to .62; the average caliber was between .42 and .48. An expert marksman or hunter could shoot 2 rounds per minute; some folks could fire three times in a minute, but their aim was quite poor due to their quickness of firing. Depending upon the quality and amount of powder used, the muzzle velocity of the long rifle could be between 1,200 and 1,600 feet per second. The rifle was effective at about 100 yards. A professional could be accurate at 200 yards.
Today, we have the Glock pistol and the AK-47 as weapons of choice in recent shootings. The Glock has mutliple variants available. This pistol was originally developed in Austria, and can be fired as a single shot, a semi-automatic or full automatic. The Glock uses 9 mm Parabellum ammunition. It can be carried without the magazine, or with the magazine in place. The detachable box magazine can hold from 10 to 33 rounds. The weight of the largest Glock is 31.74 ounces - less than 2 pounds - without a loaded magazine. The muzzle velocity is 1,230 feet per second; and, with an unlimited amount of ammunition, the firing rate can be 1,200 shots per minute on full automatic. The effective firing range of the Glock pistol is 165 feet, or 55 yards.
Then there's the AK-47, everyone's favorite assault rifle. The stock version of the Avtomat Kalashnikova was patented in 1947 (hence the AK-47). It is known for it's wood-stock finish on the butt, grip and barrel, which makes it easy to recognize. The AK-47 is designed off of a long-stroke piston model, which has a larger piston to help add force to the extraction, chambering, and locking of the next round. This weapon is known for being able to fire in harsh environments, even if they are not well-kept or cared for. The AK-47 weighs in at 6.8 pounds without a magazine attached. The cartridge for an AK-47 is 7.62 mm by 39 mm; and the rifle has a detachable box magazine that carries 30 rounds. The muzzle velocity of an AK-47 is 2,330 feet per second; with an unlimited ammunition feed, it can fire 775 rounds per minute. The maximum effective distance to aim and fire is at 984 feet, or 300 meters.
Back in 1791, the most up-to-date weapon, that a person could easily carry, was the Kentucky rifle - also known as the long rifle, and as the Pennsylvania rifle, since it was developed and subsequently produced in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. This rifle was used by Americans in the French and Indian War, the American Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. This was a black powder flintlock single shot rifle. It generally weighed 7 to 10 pounds, and the length was between 54 and 74 inches; the barrel itself could be 32 to over 48 inches in length. The caliber of the rifle also varied, from .25 to .62; the average caliber was between .42 and .48. An expert marksman or hunter could shoot 2 rounds per minute; some folks could fire three times in a minute, but their aim was quite poor due to their quickness of firing. Depending upon the quality and amount of powder used, the muzzle velocity of the long rifle could be between 1,200 and 1,600 feet per second. The rifle was effective at about 100 yards. A professional could be accurate at 200 yards.
Today, we have the Glock pistol and the AK-47 as weapons of choice in recent shootings. The Glock has mutliple variants available. This pistol was originally developed in Austria, and can be fired as a single shot, a semi-automatic or full automatic. The Glock uses 9 mm Parabellum ammunition. It can be carried without the magazine, or with the magazine in place. The detachable box magazine can hold from 10 to 33 rounds. The weight of the largest Glock is 31.74 ounces - less than 2 pounds - without a loaded magazine. The muzzle velocity is 1,230 feet per second; and, with an unlimited amount of ammunition, the firing rate can be 1,200 shots per minute on full automatic. The effective firing range of the Glock pistol is 165 feet, or 55 yards.
Then there's the AK-47, everyone's favorite assault rifle. The stock version of the Avtomat Kalashnikova was patented in 1947 (hence the AK-47). It is known for it's wood-stock finish on the butt, grip and barrel, which makes it easy to recognize. The AK-47 is designed off of a long-stroke piston model, which has a larger piston to help add force to the extraction, chambering, and locking of the next round. This weapon is known for being able to fire in harsh environments, even if they are not well-kept or cared for. The AK-47 weighs in at 6.8 pounds without a magazine attached. The cartridge for an AK-47 is 7.62 mm by 39 mm; and the rifle has a detachable box magazine that carries 30 rounds. The muzzle velocity of an AK-47 is 2,330 feet per second; with an unlimited ammunition feed, it can fire 775 rounds per minute. The maximum effective distance to aim and fire is at 984 feet, or 300 meters.
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