How are families connected to gun violence? Gun violence destroys some families; for that, there is no doubt. But families can also be a critical factor in reducing gun violence.
Guns
I can neither call myself a lover nor a hater of guns. In the Air Force, I was an expert marksman in the .38 handgun and the M16 rifle. I also enjoy target shooting with friends as a civilian. But I am neither a hunter nor an owner of a gun. I bring this up hoping to relay my relative indifference - pro or con - to ownership of firearms; although I strongly support the Second Amendment.
Most people are not aware that more citizens are killed by knives than rifles in criminal acts. But we don’t make it difficult to buy knives because it is impractical. Similarly, making gun ownership more difficult, when hundreds of millions guns already exist, bought and sold illegally, is not a real answer. Coverage of tragic events involving guns mostly blame the availability of guns while de-emphasizing the motives of the perpetrators. Guns in the hands of responsible people prove that availability does not equate to crime.
More gun laws will do little to help because the current gun laws are broken many times every day. But there are too many, very accessible, illegal guns, and their tragic impact must be minimized. I propose there is a way to do this by concentrating more fiercely on the perpetrators and their motivations.
Controlling guns will do little to stop violent acts when the real problems causing their misuse are: 1) uncontrollable anger, 2) too many lost souls, 3) the loss of respect for others, and 4) the loss of responsible behavior by those raised without caring parents in strong households. Correct these issues and gun violence will be minimized significantly. And how do we do this?
Families
We’re attacking a serious secondary problem (gun violence) with an approach (more gun laws and more legal restrictions) that ignores the real problem (the breakdown of too many families).
In the two maps above, I show a map of my hometown of St. Louis. One map shows where poor fatherless families live while the other map shows where crimes are committed. Then notice the green areas that have a very large percentage of two-parent homes. Here, there is less anger and very little crime. They correlate almost totally! Every large city will have similar situations.
Guns in these crime ridden areas surely make it easier to kill. But you cannot take criminals' guns away to solve the tragic results because the guns will be illegally replaced almost immediately. The void will suck in guns like a drain swallows water.
But what if the anger was gone? What if young people there had better guidance? What if the youth had dreams to chase, knowing there are loving people behind them, helping and encouraging them? Would guns even be sought? If guns were there, how less would they be used? Without a nail to drive, a hammer sits unused. It's obvious that guns do not have a motive – people have motives.
I would choose to be around a friendly person with a gun than an angry person with a fist because it’s the anger that would hurt me. Either a fist or gun could be used in anger, so you ask, “wouldn’t you rather have the angry person have only a fist and not a gun?”
“No doubt!” I would answer. But that is why controlling the anger is primary since illegal and stolen guns are preferable to fists to an angry person with violent tendencies.
Summary
Mentoring our youth and stopping their anger and fear will stop gun crime faster than any law. It’s time to focus on families! Incentivize fathers to be in the home instead of incentivizing them to not be there. Fix schools and neighborhoods, making them aids and not a hindrance to learning and health. Add police to high crime areas, don’t blame them as they risk their lives. Look to statistics and not rhetoric for true understanding! More youth programs with high-paying jobs to the best men and women who would mentor them. Encourage nuclear families! A village will help to raise children, but not near as well as a responsible two-parent household! Focus on the root cause, not a consequence.
Again, guns don’t have motives; people do. Let’s prevent the reasons (motives) that cause harm to others!
Guns
I can neither call myself a lover nor a hater of guns. In the Air Force, I was an expert marksman in the .38 handgun and the M16 rifle. I also enjoy target shooting with friends as a civilian. But I am neither a hunter nor an owner of a gun. I bring this up hoping to relay my relative indifference - pro or con - to ownership of firearms; although I strongly support the Second Amendment.
Most people are not aware that more citizens are killed by knives than rifles in criminal acts. But we don’t make it difficult to buy knives because it is impractical. Similarly, making gun ownership more difficult, when hundreds of millions guns already exist, bought and sold illegally, is not a real answer. Coverage of tragic events involving guns mostly blame the availability of guns while de-emphasizing the motives of the perpetrators. Guns in the hands of responsible people prove that availability does not equate to crime.
More gun laws will do little to help because the current gun laws are broken many times every day. But there are too many, very accessible, illegal guns, and their tragic impact must be minimized. I propose there is a way to do this by concentrating more fiercely on the perpetrators and their motivations.
Controlling guns will do little to stop violent acts when the real problems causing their misuse are: 1) uncontrollable anger, 2) too many lost souls, 3) the loss of respect for others, and 4) the loss of responsible behavior by those raised without caring parents in strong households. Correct these issues and gun violence will be minimized significantly. And how do we do this?
Families
We’re attacking a serious secondary problem (gun violence) with an approach (more gun laws and more legal restrictions) that ignores the real problem (the breakdown of too many families).
In the two maps above, I show a map of my hometown of St. Louis. One map shows where poor fatherless families live while the other map shows where crimes are committed. Then notice the green areas that have a very large percentage of two-parent homes. Here, there is less anger and very little crime. They correlate almost totally! Every large city will have similar situations.
Guns in these crime ridden areas surely make it easier to kill. But you cannot take criminals' guns away to solve the tragic results because the guns will be illegally replaced almost immediately. The void will suck in guns like a drain swallows water.
But what if the anger was gone? What if young people there had better guidance? What if the youth had dreams to chase, knowing there are loving people behind them, helping and encouraging them? Would guns even be sought? If guns were there, how less would they be used? Without a nail to drive, a hammer sits unused. It's obvious that guns do not have a motive – people have motives.
I would choose to be around a friendly person with a gun than an angry person with a fist because it’s the anger that would hurt me. Either a fist or gun could be used in anger, so you ask, “wouldn’t you rather have the angry person have only a fist and not a gun?”
“No doubt!” I would answer. But that is why controlling the anger is primary since illegal and stolen guns are preferable to fists to an angry person with violent tendencies.
Summary
Mentoring our youth and stopping their anger and fear will stop gun crime faster than any law. It’s time to focus on families! Incentivize fathers to be in the home instead of incentivizing them to not be there. Fix schools and neighborhoods, making them aids and not a hindrance to learning and health. Add police to high crime areas, don’t blame them as they risk their lives. Look to statistics and not rhetoric for true understanding! More youth programs with high-paying jobs to the best men and women who would mentor them. Encourage nuclear families! A village will help to raise children, but not near as well as a responsible two-parent household! Focus on the root cause, not a consequence.
Again, guns don’t have motives; people do. Let’s prevent the reasons (motives) that cause harm to others!
