Not too long ago, I posted about state gun laws, and implied in a post a day later that the more lax a state's gun laws are, the more likely something like a mass shooting would happen in that state. (My soothsaying abilities still scare me.)
Well, I stand humbled in my love for my home state and for my first city of residence, Oakland. Yesterday's shooting at a small college in Oakland that left 7 people dead invalidates my implication. It saddens me that once again, Oakland is thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Read this piece about how Oakland is not getting the help it needs.
What saddens me more, though, is our nation's inaction against the proliferation of gun usage. I ask again: what will it take for our elected officials to take a stand against guns? There needs to be constitutional change to protect us from ourselves. Last night's Nightly News started with the Oakland shooting story and was followed by more coverage of the Trayvon Martin shooting. Story after story about gun violence. It amazes me that for everything else that causes deaths - be it something that can be unpredictable or sometimes even unpreventable like disease, poison, natural disasters, or something as infrequent as abortions - is scrutinized for solutions to combat and prevent it. But for guns, no action is taken. Our lawmakers are deaf. Numb. In my opinion, it qualifies as a public health problem. If there were 2 new stories in a single newscast about a pathogenic outbreak in food, action is taken immediately. But not for guns. What will it take?
Well, I stand humbled in my love for my home state and for my first city of residence, Oakland. Yesterday's shooting at a small college in Oakland that left 7 people dead invalidates my implication. It saddens me that once again, Oakland is thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Read this piece about how Oakland is not getting the help it needs.
What saddens me more, though, is our nation's inaction against the proliferation of gun usage. I ask again: what will it take for our elected officials to take a stand against guns? There needs to be constitutional change to protect us from ourselves. Last night's Nightly News started with the Oakland shooting story and was followed by more coverage of the Trayvon Martin shooting. Story after story about gun violence. It amazes me that for everything else that causes deaths - be it something that can be unpredictable or sometimes even unpreventable like disease, poison, natural disasters, or something as infrequent as abortions - is scrutinized for solutions to combat and prevent it. But for guns, no action is taken. Our lawmakers are deaf. Numb. In my opinion, it qualifies as a public health problem. If there were 2 new stories in a single newscast about a pathogenic outbreak in food, action is taken immediately. But not for guns. What will it take?
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