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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

FACTS: Guns in America


FACTS:

FACT: There are more than 58,000 gunshops in this country. There are fewer than 20,000 Starbucks in the whole world. - Kai Rysdall, NPR 

FACT: The United States has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world — an average of 88 per 100 people. 60 percent of U.S. homicides occur using a firearm. Washington Post

FACT: The gun-homicide rate per capita in the U.S. is 30 times that of Britain and Australia, 10 times that of India and four times that of Switzerland.
- TIME
 
FACT: With only 5% of the world’s population, America owns nearly 50% of the world’s guns.

FACT: Last year on Black Friday, over 280,000 guns were purchased. (Merry Christmas)
- CBS Sunday Morning

FACT: On the same day as the Sandy Hook mass murder, a deranged man in China went on a rampage and attacked 22 schoolchildren with a knife. There were ZERO FATALITIES. 

MOST IMPORTANT FACT:
FACT: Firearm deaths are significantly lower in states with stricter gun control legislation. 
 

ISSUES

MEDIA:  Yes, the media is a problem. Like our politicians, they are owned by corporations greedily chasing after the mighty buck, putting ratings before journalism with integrity. But did the media kill 26 people on Friday? No. Is there any reason to suspect this shooter was doing this for media attention? No.
Next issue.

MENTAL ILLNESS: Only half of the mass killings reported worldwide involved a person with mental illness. Yes, mental illness is a problem, but it has existed since the beginning of time. No psychiatrist or neurologist knows exactly why it happens, how to stop it nor how to effectively treat it. We understand very little about the human brain. Very little. We need to do better, and when we know how, we will. But right now we can’t stop people from being crazy. And as for the talk of Aspergers- that is not a mental illness. Aspergers has produced some of the world’s greatest thinkers, inventors and artists. I know many young people with Aspergers – they are smart, funny and kind.
Next issue.

SECOND AMENDMENT: Let’s talk about the second amendment. It was created during a time of horses and bayonettes. Nobody could have imagined a semi-automatic the likes of the Bushman, its bullets found in the bodies of the children who were massacred. The second amendment does not entitle citizens to weapons of mass destruction.

ASSAULT WEAPONS: If you feel you need a pistol for self-protection, okay. If you are a hunter and need your hunting rifles, okay. No civilian needs an assault weapon. PERIOD. And if you really think you need one, well then, that’s the exact reason you shouldn’t have one. 



Sign the White House petition for tighter gun control legislation: WHITE HOUSE
Click here to read my blog on how my family was shattered by gun violence : A Single Bullet

4 comments:

  1. Loved the facts. Great post Hollye.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Hollye,

    I've been reading up on your Stitch case, and your love for your dog has inspired me to make a change. So I am creating a petition to help update the Lost Property Statute, using your case as the main reason why it should be updated.

    I'm no expert about petitions, however, but I know I have to petition someone. Since you have experience in appealing this law, what person/group should I be petitioning? Being the dog lover I am, I would like to know because it makes me sick that a dog could be considered property.

    Thank you very much,
    Talon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Talon,
      We turned in a petition this Summer to the Superior court judge. It didn't help with the law unfortunately. I think at this point we need to petition our local congressmen/women about getting a bill to congress. I was hoping my case would be precedent setting and could be used in future cases, and toward changing the laws regarding pets being treated as property. So far, that has not happened, but we have started a national conversation - have been in newspapers, in the news, on NPR- so hopefully we are at least opening some eyes. Thank you for your concern about our case, and for loving dogs.

      Delete
    2. Thank you so much for your help! I am from San Diego, so I added four local congressmen/women as "recipients." In Defense of Animals just expressed interest in doing an "email alert" for the petition, so things are looking up!

      Best of luck,
      Talon

      Delete

I love hearing your point of view- thank you for taking the time to comment and be part of the conversation!
love,
Hollye