As I talked with some friends last night, the topic of what can be done about the recent violence came up. There are a lot of opinions about what should be done to stem the bloodshed. Some in the law enforcement community believe that the hands of police officers are tied and that they cannot do their jobs. Why? Some ideas: Smart phones with cameras. Fear of lawsuits. Who knows.
Some people believed that the areas in which shootings happen are prone to gang violence and that much of the crime is isolated there. But some of the most recent shooting victims are children, babies really. Innocents. They didn't choose where to live; don't they deserve more?
Guns are everywhere already and now it is legal to carry them in your purse or pocket or wherever. I know that smarter people than me are trying to figure out how to deal with this problem. I can't reconcile the good parts of the country that I love with the right-to-bear-arms contingent. I don't understand people who love guns. Most of the time, people are hurt or killed because people who have guns illegally use them for crimes. Innocent people are caught in crossfire. Some people are killed in accidents. And some people kill themselves with guns because it is easy and very final. I agree that the current gun laws should be enforced more strictly. I also agree that the only thing that will get peoples' attention is money. The NRA and politicians don't want to lose money from gun owners' contributions. The gangs make money from illegally selling guns that are bought legally and illegally. Lots of people who oppose guns don't have the money to fight in this arena. It is a complex issue, but I understand that the big money wins. It makes me sad. Let's take the big money out of gun-owning and see what happen.
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