Sol Garcia | THE RIDER
By the end of today, there will be more than 100 Americans dead from gun violence; by the end of the year, 38,000 Americans will have died from gun violence, according to the Giffords Law Center.
Earlier this month, a 3-year-old toddler fatally shot his infant brother in Houston. The child had gotten a hold of an unsecured gun, and, sadly, this is not as rare as one may think.
So far, there have been at least 62 unintentional national shootings by children this year alone, with 23 deaths and 42 injuries, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
It’s not only children, though.
Also occurring this month, a police officer shot and killed a 20-year-old father, Daunte Wright.
After Wright was shot and killed by a police officer, the involved police department stated the officer had meant to use her taser, not her gun. It is almost impossible to fathom how that is a justifiable explanation.
If a weapon mishandling was really the cause, what does that say about the officer’s understanding of gun safety? What does that say about the police department’s weapon training?
While his killer is being charged, a conviction will not bring him back, just like the other 318 people that have been killed by police officers in 2021, according to Mapping Police Violence.
Everytown for Gun Safety reports about 26 Black Americans are killed by guns each day and over 100 are non-fatally injured. The organization also states police shoot and kill Black Americans at least every other day.
Are statistics enough to realize stronger gun control legislation is in dire need? Are they enough to recognize that proper training is necessary to carry and use a gun? If so, good news. The statistics are never-ending.
Every single day, gun violence takes away our loved ones.
It is not only affecting the Black community. Although if that were true, that would be reason enough to combat gun violence.
In 2019, the Hispanic and Latino community was targeted in a Walmart mass shooting that resulted in 23 deaths with the same number of injuries.
Fast forward to last March.
Eight people were killed with a gun in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Six of the victims were Asian-American women.
Maybe it was not a tragedy driven by racism but caused by a hatred against women.
About 4.5 million women in the U.S. have been threatened with a gun. Women are also five times more likely to be killed by an abusive partner who has access to a gun, according to the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence.
We also can’t forget Austin’s recent shooting last week. Three people died, including a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old.
When will we stop spilling blood over-and-over again and realize enough is enough?
Maybe the anti-gun control advocates have a point. Guns are not the ones who kill people. People kill people. It seems, though, that people who want to kill people are much more likely to kill when they have easy access to guns.
As I write this column, House Bill 1927 is being sent to the Texas Senate. This bill would allow people over the age of 20 to carry a handgun without a permit.
What a tragedy it will be if House Bill 1927 passes. I am sure a future reporter will write another opinion piece about the increase of mass shootings in Texas.
If only all the Texan victims of fatal gun violence could call their state officials today to demand the bill is not passed.
One consolation is that you have the option to do so.
Use your voice to speak for those who cannot. Demand from your state senate that it does not further contribute to our state and nation’s gun violence. We cannot risk losing another baby, another sister, or brother, or parent or any individual.
If we do not demand change, our streets will continue to be streaked with crimson as mortality rates reach higher numbers.
