jueves, 27 de diciembre de 2012

Gun violence is an every day thing - Norwich Bulletin (blog)

Shane Oliver was shot and killed on Hartford's city streets in October. He was the 20th murder victim in the state's Capital city this year.
On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, there was a vigil held outside City Hall. Shane's father, Samuel Saylor, and members of Mothers United Against Violence stood together with the hope that their solidarity would somehow make Shane's death the last one for the year in Hartford.
It wasn't. As of Dec. 15, Hartford police report 21 murders in the city to date.
Chances are you never heard of Shane Oliver, or any of the other 20 murder victims in Hartford this year, or any of the innocent bystanders gunned down on the city streets of New Haven, Bridgeport — you pick the city.
Chances are you never saw the vigils held for any of those victims of the "daily" killings.
We have a gun problem in our country, and it's not isolated or limited to the rare, headline-grabbing mass shootings that re-ignite the debate over gun control. Every day someone is being shot and killed.
They may be victims of a drug deal gone wrong or someone innocently walking in front of their home when a gang shoot out erupts on their streets. They might be victims of domestic violence, or a child accidentally shot while playing with a gun in a home and unaware that it was loaded.
Rarely are any of the weapons used in these shootings the controversial assault or semi-automatic with the high capacity magazine clip. But regardless of the type, these guns do what every gun is primarily manufactured to do — kill.
The reason why we never make any significant headway on reducing gun violence is because we don't see or feel the shock of the daily violence. It's become such a commonplace occurrence in our society that we've come to accept it as routine.
When we are shocked, it's because of the mass shootings, followed immediately by the ongoing debate over gun control that achieves nothing.
As a society, we've become obsessed with the mass shooting while ignoring the daily shootings. We don't give the same credence to the victim in the street because we're prejudice based on the circumstances. Gang members or drug dealers don't touch our collective sensibilities or earn our sympathies.
We even view the innocents differently. The accidental shooting in the home or the act of domestic violence is deemed "sad and unfortunate," yet the mass shooting by a deranged and suicidal individual is "senseless and a crime."
None of it makes sense, and all of it is a crime.
We don't live in the neighborhood where daily shootings take place. We're shocked even though we read about things like this every day, but just "not here." And when it does, we're motivated to act — but only when it hits home.
We have a gun problem in this country. Limiting the debate only to issues of gun ownership or gun control won't solve that.
Ray Hackett is The Bulletin's editorial page editor. He has more than 20 years covering Connecticut politics. He can be reached at (860) 425-4225 or rhackett@norwichbulletin.com.

 

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