Defending the Truth

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts here were in regards to gun control laws and the rise in gang violence?

Although I support the rights to bear arms, I also do believe that there needs to be a better system set into place to keep young people away from purchasing a gun or using one.

I happen to live in an area, where gangs have been slowly moving in over the last decade. A young boy was killed a couple of weeks ago in a gang-style killing a few blocks away, and last night, 4 doors down from us there was a gang killing...

All those in the cases are under the legal age of owning a gun...Yet it was that type of weapon used regardlessly. What can we do as a society, to remove those weapons from these kids without infrindging on the personal rights of law-abiding citizens?

I do not believe in taking away everybody's guns.

I do believe in taking away everybody's military-like firing ability. There is no reason for a citizen to be in possession of machine-gun like fire arms - except to kill people.

What happened last night wasn't 'military-like firing ability' though...3 hand gun bullets to the chest and a shot gun bullet to the face. The young boy down the street a few weeks ago? Again, a hand gun shots to the head.

And 2 of the victim's family members last night? Screaming for their pieces, of which the cops showed up in time to remove those weapons. Again, all standard hand guns, not an automatic or semi-automatic weapon. And the owners of those guns deffinately under the age to be able to buy them legally themselves (15 and 16).

People who have illegal handguns are committing crimes and should be prosecuted.

Perhaps if enough of these families have kids in reform schools and detention centers, parents will get the idea that it might be a good idea to not allow their children to bring guns in the house.

My mother was capable of finding a roach clip in the back of a drawer filled with school supplies that never got opened. I'm sure she could find a freakin handgun, no matter WHERE I hid it.

We have some agreement here. I don't believe in banning guns; however, I do agree with Tristan that the general public doesn't need to have machine guns and armor piercing bullets.

I think a very tough stance should be taken against gangs. Round them up and put them away is the approach law enforcement should be taking. Quit fooling around and allowing these gangs to roam around freely and commit violent crimes. Sometimes an old-fashioned approach it what works best.

Same here...But these particular kids? Their parents are as bad as they are if not worse. They allow their children to run the streets all day and night, no parental supervision, and party/fight as much as their kids do. Heck, I just had to remove a knife from a 6 year old the other day, he was running around with it unsupervised yet again, him and his brother (5). Banged on his mother's door for 15 minutes, her finally answering it and her reply 'I was sleeping. Oh well, he was just playing, it's no big deal.' Family services come out, they can't do anything...The police come out, they can't do anything cause everyone clams up...And this was one of the homes involved in the origional conflict yesterday? Perhaps now, Social Services will step in somehow? But I really doubt it.

The saddest part is, we were actually cleaning up our nieghborhood. And thought we were succesful. But a few months ago, a couple of the empty houses were rented out to...I don't know what you'd call them. And the violence has been slowly esculating, especially over the last few weeks.

Personally, hubby and I'd move out as of yesterday. But my mother refuses to leave her home cause of it and we won't move unless she moves with us. We won't leave her here basically alone and unprotected 7/24.

I grew up in this neighborhood. I remember when we used to not lock doors, everyone sat out in their yards or walked around visiting with one another, of block parties and carnivals, and the only time we saw police is cause they got lost and had to turn around to get back out or they were friends dropping in for a cup of coffee and gossip...Last night kinda drove home that that old neighborhood is gone forever now.

Something isn't right. I understand that the weapons used were illegal. But I'm still wondering what we could do as a society to cut that means of procurring those weapons in the first dang place. Cause even though the officers confiscated the weapons they found, these...punks (sorry if that offends anyone, but that's the best thing I can call them at the moment) will just go out and replace them with more illegal weapons? And that doesn't even include that when they retaliate, that the rival members will retaliate as well, and this time it may be a child killed, one of my elderly neighbors, or even one of my family members caught in the cross fire.

By the way...I apologize for this rant. I'm still a tad shaken up by the whole thing and trying to figure out how to protect my own from those with no regards for life or innocents.

I'm very sorry to hear about your predicament. I still think a hard-nosed approach by law enforcement is the way to deal with this.

Yeh, me too. Unfortunately, the law enforcement in our area are worried about getting involved in the first place, because of how the news paints them as racists...So if any conflicts in our neighborhood occure where one or all the parties are non-white? They'll recommend the caucasian individuals move to a less racially mixed area of the city along with not writing up/following up on reports.

60 Minutes and News Democrat really created some problems in how our law enforcement can handle a situation around here depending on the race of those they deal with. Which is sad, cause the problem isn't race at all. The gang bangers are pretty diverse in their memberships around here, equal memberships of young white, black, and hispanic males/females within a particular gang...

Yeah, we are too worried about political correctness and the "rights" of criminals to act in a more forcible manner. Gangs wouldn't exist at all if society would spend more time being concerned about their safety than slapping discrimination lawsuits everytime law enforcement needs to get tough on the criminals. This really bothers me because what is happening to you could happen to just about anybody.