A Word on Guns

Last night I called an old friend from college who lives near Omaha, to make sure she and her family were okay. They were, but a relative of hers was in the mall store when the gunman was firing. They hid during the shooting. My friend was still shaky. Who could blame her? Someone in my household had a gun encounter earlier this year. When I was in my early 20’s I got a good look at the wrong end of a firearm. I am hopeful it was a one time event; things like that tend to stick with you and once would surely be enough.

We’ve had some personal safety issues this year. The kids are strongly encouraged to play in the backyard as opposed to the front. We’ve altered some long time habits and reinstated some lapsed precautions.

There is some truth to the theory that taking guns away will not stop murders and violence. A relative of mine was murdered by an estranged spouse in a particularly gruesome way. He set her on fire. She did not die immediately but lingered in the burn ward for a few weeks. Think about that.

And yet, much of the violence in this area is surely the result of the easy availability of weaponry. Not all of it, certainly, but those domestic disputes or friendly arguments that so quickly go wrong. Then there are those who act impulsively, like the young man in Omaha who killed 8 people.

I don’t know what the answer to this is. Trying to end straw purchases would surely help. But I’m fairly certain that holding up all legislative work until gun control laws are passed won’t solve the problem.

I ask State Reps Thaddeus Kirkland, Tony Payton, Jr., Jewell Williams, John Myers, Angel Cruz, Rosita Youngblood, Curtis Thomas, Thomas W. Blackwell, James Roebuck, Jake Wheatley, Cherelle Parker, and Harold James to reconsider their walkout.

A better open records law would also be a help to the citizens of the state. I wish they had picked different legislation to start the protest.

Source: “Black Caucus walks out over guns,” by Angela Couloumbis and Mario F. Cattabiani, Inky, 12/06