Showing posts with label gun control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gun control. Show all posts

Saturday, March 24, 2018

WHO CARES WHO GETS CREDIT FOR PROGRESS?








In recent days it appears that the anti-gun movement in America has gained significant traction. Much of the credit is going to classmates of murdered students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Those kids are receiving plenty of press and have proven adept at utilizing it along with social media to get their message out. How far it will go remains to be seen. So long as Trump is in the White House and we have a GOP dominated congress with various allegiances to NRA campaign funding, I'm not especially hopeful no matter how many magazine covers those well spoken, well meaning kids end up on. But this too shall pass. Fast forward to 2020 and if both the presidency and congress look a lot different than the current dumpster fire, perhaps meaningful action will finally be taken.

Not that I'll be holding my breath. Somehow Sandy Hook wasn't the ultimate game changer, and the victims there were practically babies. Go back further to when beloved Republican icon Ronald Reagan was shot. That got us the Brady Bill and that's about it. No matter how good these Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS kids are on camera, it doesn't mean that their outrage will mean much more than their personal allotments of 15 minutes of fame.

With that said, I'm all for supporting the movement for increased gun regulations while it at least temporarily has a head of steam. I'm not alone in lending support, just as I wasn't alone pre Sandy Hook when writing with great exasperation about why guns seem to have been afforded more of a right to flourish than people. Yet I've noticed something troubling in my twitter feed. Popping up every so often will be a gripe about the attention these kids are getting. I'm not referring to gun owning conservative Republicans who have the words of the 2nd Amendment stitched on their pillow cases. I'm talking about liberal leaning likely Democrats who agree that laws must be enacted to strengthen gun regulations and save lives. They too want to loosen the NRA's vise grip on our national conscience. But they're a little ticked off that this particular set of kids is receiving so much attention for keeping the gun conversation spotlighted rather than certain predecessors whom they feel were snubbed.

This is not a helpful point of view. Envy is not a good look. Who cares who gets credit for progress so long as progress is made? It doesn't matter which particular group of activists spurred on by which tragedy ends up with the most appearances on CNN and MSNBC. So long as something FINALLY happens to bring about change for the better, it's a well earned victory for humanity. Long before the #MeToo movement started popping after certain high profile women spoke up against certain high profile men, there were women who spoke up who failed to earn a hashtag for the effort. What ultimately matters is that the NEXT woman who speaks up, and not necessarily one with a high profile but perhaps your neighbor or perhaps even you, will be more likely to be taken seriously as result of heightened awareness. The Snowball Effect requires a great deal of rolling before what started out small enough to hold in one hand ends up the size of a boulder. So long as momentum is maintained, eventually it becomes too large and weighty to ignore.

Outrage over slowness to arrest the killer of Trayvon Martin. Unrest in Ferguson, MO over the killing of Mike Brown. People declaring that we CAN'T BREATHE when justice is choked out of us in wake of the murder of Eric Garner. Citizens of Baltimore, MD declaring enough is enough after the killing of Freddie Gray. The toppling of confederate statues after so many years accepting their presence along with that traitorous Dukes of Hazard flag. I could easily go on with example after example of matters coming to a boil. Regardless of the varying degrees of results achieved, they can all be seen as watershed moments for a righteous cause. An individual may be moved to more tears of outrage in certain cases than others. Perhaps you wanted the event that struck closest to your home to be the most notable game changer. Jordan Davis murdered by Michael Dunn over "loud music" should have been the tipping point. Valid stance. Renisha McBride shot dead on Theodore Wafer's porch hoping to get assistance after a car crash should have been the start of the revolution. I hear you. How about the sad case of Aiyana Jones? Shouldn't a death that senseless have resulted in urgent willingness to make things make greater sense?

Those tragedies all made splashes. Some resulted in slogans. Collectively they launched an organization/mindset called Black Lives Matter. Politicians have and will continue to utilize whichever one seems most likely to move the needle in their favor. The people will continue to #Resist the corrupt powers that be, and those in power will resist our push for change. Every so often circumstances will align in a way that yields tangible results. Once upon a time the culmination of a very long fight for equality was The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Perhaps The Gun Control Act of 2020 is a reachable star. And if it is, maybe for a variety of reasons more credit will go to white high school kids in Parkland, FL than will go to victims of gang violence in Chicago, IL.

But you know what? If The Gun Control Act of 2020 ends up an actual thing that comes to fruition, mattering most won't be who gets how great a share of credit for it. What will matter is fewer guns on the streets of Chicago and other inner cities. Fewer bullets hitting intended targets as well as unfortunate souls who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. What will matter is fewer mass shootings in high schools and elementary schools and concerts and wherever else they happen. Shootings won't be stamped out completely. Guns bought legally today will be purchased illegally tomorrow, and some of them will be obtained by madmen with evil intent. We can't eliminate senseless violence because we can't eradicate evil. What we can do is make the sudden loss of multiple lives more difficult to be managed by a lone individual with deranged mind plus an arsenal of weaponry. What we can do is act like we give a shit.

Once we do, if we ever do, I won't give credit to any one activist, or politician, or group of kids, or specific march, or particular hashtag. I'll credit everybody who stood up to evil and those who profit from it and said NO MORE. Perhaps it's time to accept that the days of lone heroes/martyrs such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X receiving the lion's share of credit for social progress are behind us. Yes, there will be certain spokespeople with greater face and name recognition than the rest. It could be a football player who puts himself in the line of fire. Or someone paid to talk on TV about one thing who feels compelled to use the platform to speak in their social media feed on another. Maybe a skinny black guy in a blue vest. Perhaps a high school girl with a buzz cut. No matter. In this new age we find ourselves in, what truly heals the world is our collective voice.

FIGHT THE POWER







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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

GUN CONTROL

When I disagree with someone on an issue, I want to hear them out. I give them an opportunity to change my mind and I do my best to see the issue through their perspective. Perhaps there is something that I’m missing. Maybe the approach that led to my opposing point of view was simplistic, but when guided through the complexities of the matter I’ll realize that I had formed an opinion based on misinformation. I’m certainly not infallible. I’ve been wrong before and will be again. A whole lot of people clearly care a great deal about being permitted to own guns. Whenever the topic of stricter regulations comes up on Capitol Hill, opponents to the notion are literally up in arms. Below are examples of the ways (ranging from witty to frighteningly absurd) they express their displeasure at the mere suggestion that there are too many guns out there that are capable of shooting too many bullets at too rapid a rate. And it is too easy for these weapons and the ammunition to get into the wrong hands, that is, not in the possession of law abiding citizens who wish only to hunt or shoot at targets or protect their homes and businesses, but in the ill intentioned grasp of criminals and psychopaths. NRA propaganda aside (their opinion does not matter to me because I know they profit monetarily from it), I don’t really comprehend why the two sides can’t come together and find common ground. What I do know is that the ground is purposely and willfully not common despite declarations on both sides that we want to protect the good guys from the bad guys. No matter what a particular proposal is about (wider reaching background checks, limitations on degree of firepower, greater watchfulness over purchases made at gun shows or over the internet that currently are about as regulated as the Wild Wild West), the response is some variation of “the 2nd Amendment says we have the right to bear arms so that we can protect ourselves from criminals and the government won’t attempt to fully control our lives”. The truth is that both sides are right. But they’re talking about completely different things, which isn’t at all helpful. Nobody has proposed abolishing the Second Amendment and not allowing any citizens to own guns. Every law abiding American who owns or wishes to own a gun before additional regulations are possibly enacted will be able to obtain a gun afterward. If owning a firearm makes you feel safer, guess what, you’ll be able to feel equally safe after tweaks to laws are made. No plan to turn the United States of America into a police state is currently on the table. So why can’t we have an intelligent conversation about what actually is on the table in order to reach consensus and possibly save a few lives as result? I have earnestly attempted to find the answer to this question. It remains a mystery.

















So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, and they cling to guns or religion, or antipathy towards people who aren’t like them, or anti-immigration sentiment, or, you know, anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. – Then Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama

By our readiness to allow arms to be purchased at will and fired at whim… we have created an atmosphere in which violence and hatred have become popular pastimes. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

R.I.P. Lost children of Newtown, CT.



The map below (dated 6-10-14) shows the 74 school shootings in the US since Sandy Hook









FREEDOM'S SAFEST PLACE. SAY WHAT?!













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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Stranger Than Fiction - RIP Trayvon Martin































After the night Trayvon Martin died at the hands of George Zimmerman, various pieces of information emerged that are indisputable facts. This is largely due to research by those other than the police department assigned to the case. They seem for some reason to have done the bare minimum, if that. George Zimmerman is the only living person who can reveal the entire truth of what happened. Perhaps he will eventually be pressed to give full disclosure. That is my hope. In an ideal world, or at least a fair one, those details would be revealed before a judge and jury.

As a writer of fiction I am interested not only in the usefulness of facts, but also in the power of imagination. Until Lady Justice puts that blindfold back on that never should have been removed in the first place, allowing George Zimmerman to improbably be free from custody, we are left to connect the dots for ourselves.

When writing a story I often start with the conclusion, then jump to the beginning and try to figure out how to get back to the end. I do not write the stuff of fantasy, so the progression of events I concoct needs to be logical. No matter how fantastic the tale may be, my goal is to make it realistic, plausible.

Knowing what I do about the tragic end of Trayvon Martin’s life, this is my best guess as to how it came about. George Zimmerman is a zealot, looking for trouble and happiest when it’s found. He saw a young black man that he did not recognize. Seeing himself as a sort of Wild West sheriff on account of his involvement in a loosely organized neighborhood watch program, he decided to take matters into his own hands. This was against the instructions of a 911 operator who advised him to stay put. George saw himself as someone who gives orders, not takes them. When you’re carrying a concealed weapon it’s particularly easy to assume the role of bully.

Like many kids, Trayvon saw himself as more or less immortal, invincible. The Hispanic/White looking guy who stalked him perhaps made him nervous, but even more so, really pissed him off. What was this guy’s problem? Who did he think he was? Unable to restrain himself, George directly confronts Trayvon who at most had been willing to pick up his pace but for damn sure was not about to run from this clown. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” I’m guessing George did not ask very politely. Trayvon could have explained that he was visiting the home of his father’s girlfriend, given her name and address, proven that he was precisely where he belonged. But he didn’t know that George was carrying a concealed weapon, or that he was mentally unstable, which is my personal diagnosis. Trayvon only knew that some jerk was bothering him, making ignorant racist assumptions about him, refusing to mind his own business. An insult no doubt was hurled by one of them, followed by return verbal fire. No major harm in that. But Trayvon was exasperated by having to defend himself when all he was doing was walking down a street with snack food. He didn’t have time for this fool. Possibly he feared that Zimmerman was not actually suspicious of him, but rather, that the large man was going to try to molest or even kidnap him. Perhaps George grabbed at him first or maybe the highly irritated Trayvon just thought to himself “F this nonsense” and got the physical contact started with a quick punch. Sure the guy was bigger and probably stronger than him, but young people are impetuous. They also know that the first punch to land is often the one that finishes matters. Not in this case though. No matter how well Trayvon started off in the tussle he was destined to lose it so long as George was able to get to his gun. Perhaps George honestly feels that he was merely defending himself when he pulled the trigger, especially if he spent a fair portion of the battle on the losing end, ignoring the fact that the fight was needlessly caused by his own provocation.

That’s how I figure it went down, but I’m just a second hand storyteller who was nowhere near the scene of the crime. If things eventually work out the way they are supposed to in the land of the free and home of the brave, George Zimmerman will need to answer for his actions on that fateful night. In the meantime, Trayvon’s family and loved ones along with those of us on the outside are left longing for justice. Many are angry, which is difficult to find blameworthy. I won’t get preachy and advise people not to make blanket accusations, not to blame many for the behavior of just a few. Too early for that. It’s natural to immediately lash out when you’re hurt.

George Zimmerman has some explaining to do, so does the police department, and I’d also toss in those who passed a law that gives people freedom to act out their darkest fantasies and then use a handy get-out-of-jail-free self defense claim. Of course this is infuriating to anyone who has ever been profiled, ever had assumptions made about them on account of their melanin count. This will be the case even if your guess at how that night played out is different than my hypothesis, or your views about race relations or gun control are a far cry from my own.

I trust we can all agree at the very least that the right to walk down a street minding your own business is not one that anyone in the United States of America should ever have to fight for, much less die for. I’ve strolled down my fair share of dark streets alone with my thoughts. So far I’ve lived to tell the tale, but as the saying goes – There, but for the grace of God, go I.





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ADDENDUM

Since I wrote the hypothesis above, the picture has come into much clearer focus. Some of the assumptions made by myself and others were right, some were wrong.

Those who felt that the initial evidence overwhelmingly pointed to George Zimmerman needing to be arrested were right.

Those who felt that the color of Trayvon Martin’s skin played a major part in his death were in all probability right.

Did his hoodie play a part as well? You’d have to ask George Zimmerman. But I think the brown face beneath the hood is what mattered most.

Yet if you felt this was a simple case of blatant racism at work, you were somewhat off base because this case is anything but simple.

For one, Trayvon Martin was black but George Zimmerman is no more white than President Obama, that is, half.

But even if his family tree was 100% white, that’s not why George received preferential treatment, why a cover up took place.

This was not a matter of “since the killer is white & the victim is black, let the killer go”. Some suggested as much but that’s too simple a take.

Zimmerman had connections that resulted in him being protected. I suspected he might be an informant. Turns out his dad’s a former judge.

Orders came down from lead prosecutor to chief of police to officers on the case. Accept Zimmerman’s story. Don’t poke around for confirmation.

It never made sense that the cops felt they lacked sufficient evidence to hold Zimmerman, even if you accepted lies told to us as gospel.

Once again I state my battle cry of ARREST ZIMMERMAN. But at this point I would not be surprised if George is Gone Baby Gone.

If you're one of those who felt Zimmerman remained free because he most likely was innocent, I'd say that you were seeing what you wanted to see, refusing to accept that racism played a major part.

But not just race. This is a story about CORRUPTION. And about a life needlessly lost. And about a fight for justice that Trayvon's parents have bravely fought.
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