There was another set of shootings near a school and where students were present. The growing gun violence in Philadelphia and across America has reached the level of an epidemic. From mass shootings to shooting into crowds of people or simply being gunned down, THIS is everyone’s new reality. When interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, a parent admitted that they believed the shootings were only happening to bad people until their loved one was shot. Advocates across the city are holding vigils, speaking to the community, and trying to work with city officials for a solution. These strategies are employed across other American cities. Increasing policing is another favorite. But unfortunately for Pennsylvanians this will never be enough because our state has a gun problem. We are the gun hub of the northeast corridor. Not New York, us. I remember attending a press conference in 2018 and another in 2020 when two different state reps provided data to prove the point and yet here we are. Not trying to not be the gun hub but to stop the shootings. Contact your local state rep and ask them where the data can be found, because it is something we all need to concern ourselves with.
Speaking from personal experience, there is nothing more frightening or damning then receiving a call that your child or loved one has been involved in a shooting or your child or loved one calling screaming that they are in a shooting while they are running away. If you have not been touched personally by this, you will. Mostly because the problem of guns still exists. And you know what does not solve the gun problem? More policing, safe corridors, or curfews. Truth be told, I would love for America to simply eradicate guns altogether. It is difficult to shoot anyone if no one has a gun. But of course the 2nd Amendment is quoted often to protect the very guns killing people. And since many of us have no idea what the 2nd Amendment actually means it is a protection based on a false understanding.
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 was crafted when we were separate colonies. Each colony had its own militia, hence the word “free State”. So the right to bear arms was connected to the “protection” of colonial borders, NOT so you and every American could own a gun. This is why we have a division of armed forces to protect and fight. Now my agreement with that concept is a story and history lesson for another time. But, needless to say thanks to the bastardizing of this amendment, we walk around with a flawed purpose. We keep trying to end gun violence without fixing the problem of guns because we have “the right to bear arms.”
Another favorite solution is increasing gun regulations and making sure that shooters are given longer incarceration time. Well that is also flawed and not efficient. Neither of these have decreased gun violence, in fact it has increased since many of our states have some of the strictest and strongest regulations available. We also want to give youth something to do. Make school days longer, increase programming recreation centers. Because let’s face it if they had something more productive to do they would not have time to shoot each other or rob and pillage. Now on the surface, I agree with this idea, but it still misses the bigger point, we have a gun problem. And lots of people have guns and have access to guns. And according to the FBI, white on white crime is just as prevalent as Black on Black crime and guns are often involved so now what? Because moving away from the problem will not save you, look at how well that worked for the drug problem.
At this point, we need to consider a radical solution for a problem that is not going away and only going to keep getting worse. What happens if guns were simply illegal? I believe there would still be shootings because drugs are illegal and there are still overdoses. But there is always the example of New Zealand and Iceland who banned assault weapons after the first mass shooting occurred and there have been zero since. But America is not New Zealand or Iceland. Because we have let it go on for so long that it is not enough to simply make them illegal because so many guns are already here. And we threw the same lame such solutions after every mass shooting until we arrived here. The truth is that our history of mass shootings include the killing of Indigenous, Black, and Asian bodies — remember when it was okay to kill folks because you hated them and deemed them disposable? This is the other WHY we never discuss, teach, or ponder when attempting to create solutions.
So no, I have no idea what should be done. But, I do know everything that is being offered will never work mostly because it has never worked. So what do we do about the problem of gun violence when we refuse to admit that we have a gun problem?
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