Republicans' Right to Carry

Republicans across the country in different states are pushing for more "right to carry" laws so virtually any of us can have a gun, a weapon on us anywhere, everywhere, at any given place or time in our cities and on our streets. This is what that gets us.

We Need to Bring Back the Assault Weapons Ban

Republican Party Policies

38,000 gun deaths a year in US: who needs gun control?

2 cases of voter fraud in 2020: let’s pass 253 new voter suppression laws --Ari Berman @AriBerman

KCMO Police and City Hall Need to Maybe See What Chicago is Doing About Gun Violence

Chicago hit the news this week, this new year and in good ways for them. Surprisingly, at least to me, it's pretty big news.

Homicides, shootings decline for 3rd consecutive year in Chicago, Police Department says

Homicides fell below 500 last year in Chicago for the first since 2015, marking the third consecutive year of double-digit decreases, official Police Department statistics show.

Anyone can and no doubt will say what they will about the Windy City but if it, the city and the police, are getting good results, this kind of results, cutting homicides and shootings, with their population and size, it seems we here in Kansas City could likely learn things from them. Someone--the police chief, our new Mayor, someone, ought to maybe get up there, ask some questions and see what they're doing to get good results.

Here's hoping.

Mayor Lucas?  Police Chief Smith?

Guns In America

Some statistics. Some facts.

America has six times as many firearm homicides as Canada, and 15 times as many as Germany.

America has 4.4 percent of the world's population, but almost half of the civilian-owned guns around the world.

This makes no sense whatever, none of it.

There is a mass shooting in America nearly every day.

States with more guns have more gun deaths.

Consistent with this, above, developed nations with more guns also have more gun homicides.

America's biggest gun problem is suicide.

And again, consistently, the states with the most guns report the most suicides.

More guns equals suicides. Reported suicides between 2001 and 2005:

 "Guns and Suicide in the United States"

Guns allow people to kill themselves much more easily.

In states with more guns, more police officers are also killed on duty.

"Firearm Prevalence and Homicides of Law Enforcement Officers in the United States"

Then there are these facts (with links).

1. There's roughly one gun for every person in America
2. Gun crime is more prevalent in the US than in other rich countries
3. Gun homicides (like all homicides) are declining
4. Places with more guns have more homicides
5. There are more gun suicides than gun homicides in America
6. Suicide is more common in places with more guns
7. Living in a house with a gun increases your odds of death
8. Guns contribute to domestic violence
9. Mass shootings aren't getting more common — and are a tiny share of all shootings
10. A tiny fraction of gun violence is committed by the mentally ill
11. Gun control is popular but getting less so

And finally, to give us some hope, there is a great deal of support in America for gun policy proposals.

From the full article over at Vox:

Gun violence in America, in 17 maps and charts

More links:  11 essential facts about guns and mass shootings in America

Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings in the United

About Gun Violence

Wear Orange Tomorrow

What No Background Checks on Guns Gets Us

Indeed, thanks, NRA!

Shootings in Kansas City

Three white people shot, he internets and media light up:

Shootings at Jewish centers in Kansas leave 3 dead

Mostly black people shot?  Not so much:

Homicide KC 

23 people have died in Kansas City-area homicides this year

Just sayin'.

Read more here: http://homicide.kansascity.com/#storylink=cpy

When will we ever learn?

Another promising young life was taken this week.

Another tragedy.

It's been a busy week for me so I hadn't seen the paper and didn't know of it.

One Juan Garcia--a promising, hard-working young student--was gunned down at his home, I understand.

And for no good reason, of course.

So tragic.

Kevin Hopkins, Jr., some months ago--and many more--too many--before and now this.

No point.

No need.

A life gone.

A beautiful young person.

And still no call for cohesion and work for solutions from the Mayor, his office, the City Council, the local churches or church or community leaders.

That makes no sense to me at all.

Calls to repair sidewalks around schools but no call to try to work against senseless shootings and murders in the city.

Link to original story:
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/01/1986181/family-friends-mourn-teen-slain.html
http://www.kctv5.com/news/23778070/detail.html

One success, one fail for the Mayor

Last week, I didn't get a chance to pat the mayor on the back, for once, so to speak, for helping slow down Wells Fargo on the sale of some foreclosed-on houses in town.

One "attaboy" from me--along with others--for doing something well and right in town, instead of complaining--more--about him.

From the Mayor's letter to the city::

On May 12, the Mayor held a press conference asking Kansas Citians to get involved in a planned huge auction of houses owned by Wells Fargo as the result of foreclosures.

The Mayor was concerned that the houses would be purchased by out-of-town investors who would do little with them until the housing market rebounds. The problem with this scenario is that the houses typically end up being an eyesore in the neighborhoods - with weed filled yards that the city is then burdened to clean-up until they can track down the investors to pony up and pay for the maintenance.

After his press conference, Wells Fargo canceled the auction.

Excellent. Instead of absentee landlords, from out of town, buying up and owning these properties, maybe more local investors can snap them up at bargain prices, fix them up a bit and take care of them, instead of letting them become, as said above, eyesores.

So good on ya', Mayor. If you'd do more good and positive things like this, maybe you won't be thought of so poorly when you're thrown out of office this Fall.

Here's the fail:

One man was dead and another had serious injuries after a shooting at 63rd Street and Swope Parkway in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday night.

Another shooting in town.

Another senseless killing.

At what point--I ask again--is this mayor going to stand up in front of local TV cameras with other civic, community, church and other leaders and say we are not/cannot any longer take these pointless, tragic shootings and killings and we are going to come together to fight them?

I know I've been asking this for the last year here.

It's nearly one more Summer upon us and the temperatures are rising, along with the humidity and we all know the likelihood these will increase is extremely strong.

I would contend--and I think a lot of other people would, too--that this issue of drive-by and other senseless homicides in town is the number one concern in the city at present and has been during this mayor's entire term in office, yet he hasn't addressed it, full-on, once.

It's way overdue.

I'm calling on this mayor once again, to address the issue of homicides, not because I'm a blogger, certainly, but because I'm a resident of the city and because this situation is ugly, stupid and desperately in need of attention and solutions.

Mayor? Your response?