By Roger Caldwell
As Americans, it is easy to be locked in Black v White, red v blue, men v women, and young v old, but shootings and killings have no category. Shooting and killing is all about guns, and there are more guns than people in the country.
In America, a country that prides itself on being a beacon of liberty and freedom, something is fundamentally wrong. Weapons of war are considered important to own for your children, and gun violence a way of life.
In the last week, two people have been shot in separate incidents for making an innocent mistake. In Kansas City Missouri, Ralph Yari, 16, was shot in the head by 84-year-old Andrew Lester for knocking on his door by mistake. The young man was critically wounded. His mother (a nurse) is now caring for Ralph at home.
In rural upstate New York, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed when she and her friends made a mistake and drove into Kevin Monahan’s driveway. The car was turning around to leave and Monahan 65 fired two bullets through the car window. The bullet hit Kaylin and now she is dead.
Mr. Monahan has been charged with second degree murder which holds a minimum of 15 years to life. He has pleaded not guilty, and at this point there is no bail.
On the other hand, Lester was charged with felony charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Yari has suffered permanent physical injuries from a cracked skull, loss of brain tissue and scarring. Lester claims he opened fire in self-defense and pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $200,000 bail.
At this time in America there is an epidemic of impulsive shooting and killing, and it does not matter where you are. In Dadeville, Alabama, there was a teen birthday party during the same time the two persons were shoot. At this party four persons were killed and 32 were injured.
This was the kind of party where most folks knew each other, and the high school football star saved the life of his sister, who’s “Sweet 16” birthday celebration it was. “It was a very sad, sad scene,” said Ben Hayes, senior pastor at Dadeville First Baptist Church. “A very rough night.”
There is an investigation taking place, but names and information is very limited. When anyone pulls the trigger, it impacts families, friends, children for decades, and many their entire life.
Many Republicans are taking the position, the more guns the better. But, as the United States continues to grapple with devastating mass shootings numbers, they are preventable. According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 57 people have died in March with 38 mass shootings, and 133 injured. So far by the numbers, 130 mass shooting have taken place in America since March 2023.
There is no one solution to the gun problem, and epidemic of killing in America. There appears to be a national anger, which interacts with racism, sexism, hatred, and I am ready to use my gun mentality. There are more guns than people in America, and the country is pitted against each other.
In America there is a gun culture, where millions are not comfortable without their gun. This deadly cycle of violence seems to be something that we cannot change.
Nevertheless, countries all over the world have introduced laws to reduce gun-related deaths. In Australia, gun deaths fell by 50%, when they banned rapid-fire rifles and shotguns, and organized gun ownership.
In South Africa,new laws made it much more difficult to obtain a firearm. Britain tightened its gun laws and New Zealand banned all military-style semi-automatic weapons.
There is no one solution that will stop the gun violence in America, but there must be a concerted effort by citizens, the governors, legislatives, the President and the Congress. America must change its mind-set about gun violence, and mental health must be a priority, and lead the way.
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