I couldn’t find a link to the brief interview they had with him, maybe it will surface later.
In the interview I think he was wrong about the level of gun violence, he said it’s the number one cause of death among youth (their own link above reads 20%), not sure how they grouped or ungrouped other causes to arrive at that.
In the interview he referred to “assault weapons”. Ignoring that term for a moment, of the 20%, what he called the majority of deaths, a large percentage are suicide which I would think would be less likely with a rifle. Maybe single cause, and they broke up other unintentional deaths and types of car accidents so that “gun violence” came out as number one.
I guess he said gun violence is above car accidents, but I even doubt that, especially if you remove suicide and look at the violence they are trying to make everyone afraid of “Assault Weapons”.
Maybe I’m wrong on the number of deaths and which is higher, it just doesn’t seem right, even looking at their own site, CDC, etc.
At least he did admit there is no single one answer to solve the issue of gun violence:
Safe Storage - There are laws about this already, but supposedly, according to the secretary, 3/4 of the gun violence are from homes where they got access to a family gun. He didn’t mention there are already laws about safe storage and handling. His focus is on education, which I agree with. If there are gun owners out there not properly storing, and effectively communicating gun safety and understanding how their kids feel about it… then why not have another avenue where education is offered regarding these things. I don’t know all the details, so may have some disagreement how that education is offered.
Mental Health Staff - He also mentioned more workers and addressing mental health concerns. Again, I agree, mental health needs to be an avenue to address gun violence, obviously not “restrict or take away guns” from responsible owners.
In the end, glad that things other than “take away the guns” were mentioned. However, I was disappointed in how some of the data was presented. It’s an election year, so maybe they are trying to appeal to a broader audience by finally suggesting other solutions. Maybe they have before and I just missed it.
Not directly related, but along the lines of safe storage, the local news here did a report yesterday on stolen guns in the community. Basically, it came down to the fact that most all guns used in crime were stolen, and most of those were stolen from unlocked vehicles. These aren’t sophisticated thieves breaking safes, they’re street punks going car to car pulling on door handles and grabbing loose guns out of center consoles.
That pissed me off. I know it’s the criminals/thief’s fault when the crime is committed, but gun owners shouldn’t be feeding the anti-gun narrative by not taking even the most basic steps to keep their weapons secure. I’m not talking about in-car safes, I mean, just locking the car doors.
We all need to be careful we don’t give our opponents the ammunition they want to kill our rights.
FYI NO SUCH THING AS “GUN” VIOLENCE. It’s CRIMINAL VIOLENCE.
In 2021 70,000 people died from fentanyl, is that considered
PILL VIOLENCE❓
Furthermore, they don’t require facts in any type of reporting!
They make them up as they go and see what sticks.
I’ll show you how that works. Democrats killed more people last week than serial killers have since Jack the Ripper. It’s a fact, because I said it was a fact!
Today’s liberals are the true slave owners, hence the open border, they need more slaves! FACT
Good point, words matter. To at least recognize the violence he’s speaking to in this context, does it make sense to say “more than one way to address this type of criminal violence and ways to hope mitigate it”?
Thinking of it that way, addressing mental health concerns may be the only thing to agree on from this, even though gun safety is important, but that in the end has nothing to do with someone making a criminal decision to take and use that gun to murder.
Honest question, as I’m trying to learn and think through how I would talk to someone who is “against gun ownership” (AR or any type) on this without outright shutting them down and them walking away disagreeing. In the end, there may be no hope in swaying some people’s minds, but I personally like to think there is some hope.
I’ve seen stories of people changing their minds on political and other views (I think on Praeger U videos, or maybe Daily Wire). It may not have been a single topic change of opinion specific to criminal violence and to stop blaming guns. I guess thinking through if there is anything to pull from this to redirect people to, but maybe there isn’t.
I agree with you, “gun violence” is false. Even though it was violence using a gun, saying the way you quoted blames the wrong thing and focuses the issue in the wrong place.
Yep, I see what you mean. I monitor Next Door and Facebook community to know what kind of crime is in or getting closer to my area. SO many people leave their car doors or garage unlocked then report a “break in”. I think you’re right, the criminal is at fault for committing the crime, but I too think guns should be secured so they don’t get into the wrong hands.
Has anyone else noticed that the majority of the fentanyl deaths are of military age!!! But, there’s an increase of military age illegals, coming in!!! Instead of importing violent criminals from other countries! Maybe we should exporting our violent criminals to other countries!!! Yah, yah, I know!!!
The article states, “Nearly 20 percent of childhood deaths are caused by firearms…” That can’t be the number one cause then.
The CDC lists motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death for children and adolescents at 20%. Firearms related are the 2nd leading at 15%. So the time period is different, the definition of childhood (maybe the age of childhood?) deaths is different, or the US Dept of Ed is talking about a subset of deaths or something.
I could get sucked into a critical thinking exercise here, but I don’t the time right now. Fascinating topic though.
You Folks are being entirely too RATIONAL,
Sorry for the insult but there it is
The number One killer of children in school or Military age young people is DRUGS! mostly Fentanyl!
The Second killer is stupid people: If these ‘Parents’ paid more attention to what their kids are doing
On-line 24/7, no socializing w/ other kids, Finding drugs (their parents, family/friends out in the Open,
Guns on the End tables )Loaded),Illegal and on and on and on.
"These People’ take zero responsibility for their own actions, Single Mother w/ (5) kids
Alcoholic/Doper leaves a gun out or her current BF gets high and leaves his piece in another room and
kids FIND THEM! My Father was an Abusive walking disaster but his Guns were LOCKED UP tight.
I found his Booze! But never a gun and it was Never loaded (HE was Loaded! ) But I digress!
The parents of that Trans-Meatball that shot up that Christian School last year KNEW she-it had Guns!
They KNEW ‘IT’ was a Mess…nobody said anything… WHY? It’s tough to RAT on your kid, but when ‘IT’ is off the rails preventing a possible disaster has to fall to the Parent. That’s their Job.
Yes out in New Mexico people continue to do stupid sh**, Leave Laptops in full view in their cars, Doors unlocked, Garages stuffed w/ crap they leave their Vehicles out in the driveway…and they are the first to cry BUH BUH BUH ! Why me? Because you are an IDIOT. So why should it be different if a person w/ a gun will act differently?
It isn’t US Gunners doing stupid sh**! Joseph, Its idiots with a firearm who take as much care (none) as they do with their stoned out Kids. I bet you all dollars to donuts a lot of these people don’t check where that unused/zero training Firearm is half the time. "Oh, It was in a box in my closet…I thought.
There may be 400 MILLION+ guns out there but 1/2 of the owners probably never train with them, take a class, Know where that Phuckin’ gun is. I’d like to ask some of these Brain-trusts have you EVER fired the damn thing? Know how to load it? rack it? These are the people who DIE by their own gun when some perp takes it away from them and kills them with it.
Please don’t count on 400 Million Strong numbers to back us up when the SHTF! half of them will be dead before the first volley’s are fired.
yet the ‘G’ comes down on us
yet the ‘G’ blames US for a school/mall shooting
They ILLEAGLLY restrict US and try to dismantle OUR God Given Rights!
Impose on our Privacy, our purchases, Our Lifestyles… Tommy Jefferson KNEW these Pieces of Sh** existed even back then.
Now it doesn’t matter because it’s open season on all Freedom Loving, Licensed, law abiding Citizens!
The “gun control” movement is using the same arguments that are used to wage the war on drugs against gun owners. Illicit drugs kill people (and here are all the statistics of drug deaths), therefore drugs, possession of drugs and buying and selling drugs should become a crime. Guns kill people (and here are all the statistics of gun deaths), therefore guns, the possession of guns and buying and selling guns should be a crime.
The dynamics of gun control in the world in which we live is that gun owners are evolving into de facto criminals like those who possess drugs.
This is the issue. In order to come up with firearm related causes being the leading cause of death among children the anti self defense crowd has to redefine childhood. They include all the gang related gun deaths of 18 and 19 year olds. Not what most people picture when they say sweet innocent children are being killed. Not to mention all the gang related “child” deaths of the 13-17 year old crowd. Again not the picture they are painting when they say it is the leading cause of death for “children”.
In 1971 I started high school in a newly built school, in a #1 district. In 1972 they rezone that district, and now included some shady neighborhoods. First, there was some overcrowding, then came the violence! First there was stabbings and beatings!! Then there was a shooting, everything changed!!! I even started carrying a gun! It got so bad they had call out the local National Guard to patrol the campus!!! 1973 They rezone again, but it was never the same again, I grad that same year! My Dad returned, from his third in Nam, just in time to watch me grad. See, when they include 16, 17, 18 year olds in their statistics!!!
There is hope. There are many ways. One has to find the appropriate way for the person you are talking to. The topic of guns and being responsibly armed is an emotional one to many people. To me it is a rational one. You first have to get the person you are talking to to start thinking rationally. If you can’t do that all is lost.
The fact of the matter is people carry guns as an act of love for them selves and fellow man. That is another obstacle. I they don’t have love for humanity more is lost. If they have love for their family you might have a chance.
This is taking longer than I thought. I will get back to you when I have more time if you are interested.
I would like to add ownership is a two edged sword. If one owns a weapon and has compassion for his fellow man it is the best way to learn how to be responsibly armed. Compassion is the key. Enough compassion to take the life of another human being that is destroying innocent lives. This is the ugly side of the two edged sword and why people don’t want to own guns.
If it wasn’t for the ugly side we wouldn’t need guns in the first place. With close to 400 million guns in this country which I don’t think are going to disappear in our lifetime we need to learn how to be responsible with them. Once we learn to be responsible with them the criminals will not be able to use them against us.
I feel it is everyone’s responsibility to protect life. Given all the murders we’ve seen recently, without stopping them we would go extinct. We cannot let it continue. Love life, be safe. Together we can win the fight against criminal gun violence. It is not a political fight. It is not a religious fight. It is not an emotional fight. It is a compassionate fight for our survival.
We can read into this anything we want but the part thar jumps out at me is
"addressing the epidemic of gun violence through BSCA, including funding to help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others; enhanced background checks for buyers under 21; and new funding for proven, community-based violence prevention initiatives.
We can spend more money on a strategies to take guns away from citizens, now, all we need to do is change the definition of “significant danger to themselves or others” and we can start grabbing guns.
I’ll interject this: What is the definition of “significant danger to themselves or others”?
a. disagrees with the current administration policy on gun laws?
b. refer to your Constitutional rights when questioned by authorities?
c. excess purchases of certain cost codes (ammo, survival equip, USCCA membership…)?
d. association with certain groups (Church, martial artists, 2a advocates)?
e. what you posted on the internet?
f. what a stranger thought you meant when they over heard a conversation?
g. what ever deinition the local authorities want to apply?
