Last year in America 462 people died from mass shootings and 1,314 were wounded. On average, one mass shooting (four or more killed or wounded) takes place each day. Eighty-eight people in America die daily from gun violence. Every year more than 30,000 die from gunshots, including homicides and suicides. What will it take to reduce gun violence in our country?
In December 2012, 20 children and six adults died in a mass shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Most Americans believed that this was the tipping point, which would result in congressional action to pass commonsense gun laws. Even with 91 percent of Americans in 2013 saying they favored expanded background checks, the U.S. Senate did not stop a filibuster on the bill to do so. What will it take for congress to have the political courage to act?
Friday, Jan. 8, 2016 is the fifth anniversary of the Tucson shooting tragedy. That morning 19 people were wounded and six of them died. They became one more statistic in the history of gun violence. But they also had names, families and wonderful life stories that will be remembered at events on Jan. 8 and 9. They were Gabe, John, Christina, Dorothy, Phyllis and Dorwan, all of whom died, and Gabby, Pam, Suzi, Bill, Mavy, Jim, George, Mary, Ken D, Ken V, Eric, Randy and Ron, all of whom were wounded. We joined a club which none of us wanted to be a member … people who were wounded or killed in a mass shooting.
Most of us didn’t know each other before Jan. 8 but we have become friends and support one another like family. We have also come into contact with others nationwide, who have been affected by a mass shooting. Together we are advocates for sensible changes in our gun laws. We have been deeply disappointed by the lack of response from congress but we are not deterred in ouC goal to reduce gun violence in America. What will it take to get our elected officials to improve our gun laws?
The gun lobby has immense influence with Congress and has dug in even deeper in the wake of so many mass shootings. Since Congress has refused to act, the president has had to take steps through executive orders.
This week President Obama announced the new actions he will take to address this problem. I share his frustration at the lack of progress by Congress and support his decision to move forward without Congress. This is what it will take until we have a congress that listens to the American public on this issue.
His executive action to implement changes in the background check system make sense to 73 percent of likely voters in 2016, including a majority of Republican voters, according to a recent poll.
The president will expand background checks by requiring some unlicensed gun sellers to get a federal license. This will begin to eliminate the so-called gun show loophole. He will also increase penalties for “straw purchases,” those made on behalf of another individual, who would not pass a background check. Additionally, tighter rules will be put in place for reporting gun theft.
It will take a lot more to reduce gun violence in America and we each have a responsibility to make this happen. As voters, we must ask those who want our support on Election Day, about their position on improving gun laws. If they dodge the question or say we have enough laws on the books, we should look for another candidate who is willing to stand up to the gun lobby.
Today we are rightly concerned about terrorists attacking Americans here at home. Congress should also be concerned enough to add a new group to those who are currently prohibited from purchasing a firearm. This would include people who are on the terrorist watch list. There is a lot of rhetoric in current political campaigns about stopping terrorist violence in America but almost no one is proposing action to prevent those who are under investigation for terrorist intentions from buying guns. What will it take for commonsense to enter this discussion?
Another solution to reducing gun violence lies in how we treat people who have been adjudicated a danger to themselves or others due to a serious mental illness. Many of the mass shooting perpetrators in recent years showed signs of significant mental health problems before they acted violently. Most of them were either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and did not receive the treatment they needed. For at least two years prior to the Tucson shooting, the shooter was displaying symptoms of declining mental health. Unfortunately, he was not diagnosed or treated appropriately before the tragedy. I believe that, had he been properly diagnosed and received the right mental health services, the shooting could have been prevented. Less than 5 percent of people with a mental health issue will ever commit an act of violence. They are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. But we have the knowledge to intervene with that 5 percent. What will it take to address this dangerous gap in mental health services?
Over the past several years almost $3 billion has been cut from mental health services in our country. We can start by restoring those cuts. We can also do more to make law enforcement personnel, teachers and others aware of the symptoms of mental illness and what we can do to assist those who are living with a mental illness. Pima County has led the nation in providing an educational program called Mental Health First Aid, which has provided essential information to first responders, parents and educators about how mental illness manifests and where to get help. We should expand this program nationwide.
On Jan. 8 let us commit ourselves to action as we remember those who were killed and wounded. By our actions to reduce gun violence we will honor them and all who came to their aid that horrific day.
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2016.
As we all reflect on the tragic day we all can say where did we fail? Where did the neighbor teacher parent peers have so much daily responsibilities to leave the mentally unstable to wander. We have laws on the books to protect the citizen and the would be needed patient. It is my understanding that these laws and protection mechanisms were in place and notified just not valued by our civil servants to implement.
We had a Sheriff that oversees the daily operations of Pima Community College police department are being meet. This is the same as the DPS oversee the University police forces to maintain compliance with the operations of the police on State Universty property. This is the same at every county community college in this state. Some communities colleges don’t have police agency’s where it is then the Sheriffs task to perform.
Here we had the steam valves of overheat go off twice in my knowledge. We had a public citizen working at a ammo counter that refused to sell ammo. Still this lost sole was let to wander as it was to much for somebody else to worry about. A police force that dropped the ball rather than issue a citation of public disturbance. A police force that went to the sick student home and issued a REQUEST that the student not return till a evaluation had been made as his mental state twice. Had the responsible government done the first line of defence Gabby would possibly still be our representative.
For Pima County Sheriff’s department to come out and state that it asked Gabby if she wanted police protection. Is that her option really how would Gabby know of any chance peril that might come it would be up the he sheriff department to tell her of it. How did someone with a mental disorder get a handgun legally. Pima county had the laws to enforce and the vehicle to maintain it’s implementation to preclude this from happening. But wait it has to be brought up to the county attorney and how to do plea bargains a mental hold on a person. The follow up with the county mental health div which is where Ron Barber came from his administrative background helped Gabby perform her duties as congressional representative. Where did the check and balances fail it failed with every citizen in the county that votes for a party. It is them that have given us this bastion of political ideology.
Been in this county a long time I remember county board representative ED Moore filing suit against the State for the 1949 sales tax formula distribution that had Pima County paying twice that of Maricopa seems that the Palo Verde Nuclear plant is worth more than all of the improved property in Pima county.
yes the new political progressive is really this generations Archie Bunker
Focusing on the 462 deaths related to mass shootings ignores the 10,000 dead in daily, under-reported deaths of men, women and children from gun violence across the nation. This focus inevitably leads to discussion of mental health issues among the shooters including Loughner. In turn, the NRA can respond with attacks on the mental health community, not the daily carnage exacted by the violent criminals most likely to shoot and kill without remorse.
If we succeed in eliminating all deaths related to mass shootings, we are left with 95% of gun deaths (not related to suicides and accidental shootings) unaddressed. There are hundreds of millions of guns in circulation in the US, more than enough for every man, woman and child living here. These guns are freely available to criminals on the black market and used every day to kill and wound victims indiscriminately.
I would suggest that our judicial system is asleep at the wheel. Why should anyone who even brandishes a weapon in a crime not receive a very long prison term without any chance of parole? Shouldn’t plea bargaining be taken off the table for criminals who carry guns while committing a crime? Shouldn’t weapons seized from criminals automatically be destroyed? Shouldn’t anyone who sells a weapon on the black market that is subsequently used in a shooting receive a mandatory prison sentence including life without parole if a victim dies?
The daily carnage in the US is not as sensational as the mass shootings but the number of lives lost is the more serious problem. The Tucson shooting was a terrible, terrible tragedy costing us the services of a great representative and the lives of six fellow citizens, men, women and one child. It is right to remember these lost neighbors and mourn our loss. It is not right to focus exclusively on those losses
while not acknowledging the lives lost to gun crimes reported on page three if at all.
Are guns the problem here? did the gun get a mind of its own? the issue goes much deeper than that, our social fabric began to tear when we took authority away from our teachers, stopped the Pledge of Allegiance, removed prayer from schools (unless you are from some other country, then we support you), we have not updated out educational system in years to meet the demands of the “Smart Phone” generation, why would I spend all day listening to a teacher when I can get the answer on Google in seconds, we need to address that and adapt to it.
In nearly every mass shooting, someone will enviably make a comment something like “We all new he was way off center” or “Most people were afraid of him, even his parents”. Yet none of us want to say, we are screwed up, we cannot police ourselves, we need the police with us at all times, please mister government make my decisions and take care of my kids, but don’t discipline them. That’s what it all sounds like to me, Americans have given up, surrendered this Country to anyone that wants it, to make it as they want it in the name of Allah. There was a time when it took a village to raise a child not just a saying, when I was growing up, neighbors had the right to smack the crap out of you like you were their own if you were acting a fool in their presence, it worked, kids didn’t mouth off to adults, tell a kid in the mall today to watch their language, see how many other cuss words they know.
Yes friends, if you have a drug dealer on your street corner, and have called the police, only to see that person there again in a week, you have done due diligence, so either handle it or live with it.
Our current president made his run on the promises of change, one man to change America, never happen, if we continue to sit idly by and blame our communities on the police, the government, and not take responsibility, then we deserve everything we have here today, next will be ISIS, remember I said that, because your government is setting up the perfect opportunity for it, disarm or disable the arms of its citizens, reduce the effectiveness of the weapons of the police and military, do background checks on its own citizens and let terrorist in, yup folks, even I can see whats coming.
Did I mention I am retired military, I have been there and done that, our country is lacking in discipline, it is as divided as Iraq was when Saddam was in power, we do not stand together on the big issues, we are easily segregated, and therefore, easily managed, think about that.
I will end is saying that gun control is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of, the people that commit these heinous crimes will not let the lack of guns deter them from committing these crimes, they will simply do it another way, poison, bombs, knife, sword or what ever, but the lack of guns will neither deter, nor slow down the criminal element that we have created here, we only make the best.
The man that the PC Sheriffs shot yesterday was arrested a week ago and spent two days under mental observation for attempted suicide. 48 hours later he is on the street robbing a store and threatening officers. No gun. A knife.
Welcome to reality. As much as some of you hate the thought of it, there is a reality. Work your way towards it.
We can’t even get people to wear seatbelts in cars, nor helmets on motorcycles, which would save many lives. How are we going to enforce gun laws? Laws are only for those who wish to obey them. There are just too many guns out there to control them, or the shooters.
Blow it out your butt Barbie. You will not disarm Americans. We will defend ourselves. There’s a reason you lost, you have no man card.
My cold dead hands comrade Barber, my cold dead hands.
Am currently watching Guns in America: Obama Town Hall, which seems to be a an actual forum, still with some blather, but a good start. Why hasn’t this be done before? No one (including each and every person active for gun control) actually cared to really discuss gun policies–the deaths for years, not least from gang violence that especially hit people of color, were not motivational for people (including those who seemingly have some sort of emotions about bystanders and violent kids being shot) to seriously talk. I often am lazy, but will never beat the majority of the population in being so easily satisfied by emotional outbursts.
The President mocked Americans as believing he has a conspiracy to confiscate their guns.
Why would Americans distrust our President? Top ten reasons.
#1 Hope and change
#2 The border is secure
#3 Deportations are at an all time high
#4 If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor
#5 The average family will save $2500 per year on health care insurance
#6 Christians are clinging to their bibles and their guns
#7 ISIS is the JV team
#8 Pass the bill so you can read it
#9 Iran nuclear deal
#10 There won’t be amnesty for illegals
Come on America you can trust him now.
And #11 If you disagree with me on global warming you are mentally ill. Just look how well that fits with his executive action on background checks of the mentally ill.
Come on America, there’s nothing wrong here.
I find it very interesting how the above commentators are so worried about losing their guns. I saw nothing in the above article where he states that guns should be taken away from law abiding citizens, or any comment about how law abiding citizens are not allowed to buy guns. Only criminals don’t want background checks.
Criminals steal the guns of honest people. Why can’t the left comprehend that? Laws mean nothing to law breakers. Harsher penalties please.
The NRA and Gun Rights groups need to provide armor with the guns they provide. Killers are wearing armor, unlike the average citizen carrying a gun. A surprise attack and most citizens will not be wearing armor to protect themselves. So It is important that citizens start wearing body armor to protect themselves from the killers that the NRA are promoting. The NRA has been silent on body armor so far, but I have been urging them to include it at gun shows and shops.
I come from a family of gun owners, and people need to chill out. The NRA has scared gun owners, and as we all know Politicians are liars, this whole thing is ridiculous. This whole thing is just BS, politicians worrying about the rights of a maybe Terrorists. I read both bills, Cornyn’s bill gave the FBI 72 hours to make a case to the Court. I laughed so hard, what government agency can do anything in 72 hours. My mother and father in law were murdered, and it has been three years, still waiting for a trial on one of the perpetrators. The truth of the matter is no one on either side is going to take away guns. Even though as my 87 year old father said who had shot bear, buffalo, and mountain lions, and a Veteran of War, “if you need an assault rifle to hunt, go home, you are no hunter and should not handle a gun. It is no longer a sport, and you are no sportsman. ” If you can’t hit the target without an assault rifle, you need to get one of those computer games of pretend.” ” Assault rifles are for killing people in war”. As another mass shooting happens that kills children, women and men, I personally think all those that do not want common sense gun laws to stop domestic terrorists, are terrorists themselves. It is though they had their finger on that trigger. Shame on Americans that want Terrorists to have guns. Let us give the FBI a hand and help them catch the bad guys. The laws the way they are hinder them from doing their job!
These Senate bills (and votes) show America just how worthless and reactive our inept government has become. Everybody threw together a quick bill to make it look like they cared when all it was is political posturing.
We are so poorly served. Trump in 16.