Whenever we hear of horrific tragedies like the slaying of Zurana Horton, a 34-year-old mother of 13 who was killed by a stray bullet last Friday while shielding children outside of an elementary school in Brooklyn, we often ask ourselves how such a travesty could happen. We watch as mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children and all those left behind mourn the loss of their loved ones and grapple with how to push forward with their head held high. But what we do not focus on enough is how guns have gotten into the hands of the wrong people in the first place, and why they are so readily accessible to them. This week in NY, eight NYPD officers were charged with helping to run a gun-smuggling ring in a city already grappling with unresolved shootings. Whether it's illegal trafficking on the streets or organized illegal trafficking with the assistance of authority, bottom line is, we must stop guns from coming into our community -- period.
I can't begin to tell you how many funerals I've attended or how many family members I've tried to comfort after they traumatically lost someone near and dear to them to a senseless act of violence. Often times caught in a crossfire of bullets, these innocent victims have ranged in age from infants to grandmothers, and have been killed while completing everyday tasks like picking up children from school or running an errand, or simply sitting in their home. But what is strikingly clear is that a vast majority of these shooting victims have been Black and Latino, and we simply cannot remain silent about saving our families and protecting our streets.
Gun supporters and advocates always champion the 2nd Amendment and our right to bear arms. But this right doesn't mean that everyone should possess a weapon. It doesn't mean guns should be so readily accessible to the least stable among us. And it doesn't mean that we don't need stricter gun laws to keep them out of the hands of criminals and those with a complete disregard for human life. Perhaps the fierce gun proponents need to take a walk in our neighborhoods, where young children have to dodge bullets just to get an education, or where mothers and fathers spend sleepless nights figuring out ways to keep their families safe. Or maybe they need to have a conversation with Zurana Horton's 13 children who will now have to somehow survive without a mother for the rest of their lives.
The trafficking of guns in this country is it an astronomical level. The sheer fact that police officers who are hired to serve and protect us would willingly participate in such behavior is egregious at best. We must ensure that those eight NYPD law enforcement officials receive the appropriate punishment and we all must work to get these guns off of our streets and out of the hands of would-be murderers. We at NAN previously held gun buy-back programs, and we will continue such activities with the hopes that others will follow suit.
We cannot continue to watch heroes like Zurana Horton lose their lives, and we cannot continue to bury our precious ones. Life is indeed short, but let's not make it shorter by killing one another needlessly. Get guns out of the community and stop them from ever finding their way back in. Together, we can save ourselves -- and the next generation.
Follow Rev. Al Sharpton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheRevAl
Laws, whether new or old, are usually only obeyed by people who are not going to cause you any problems to begin with. Criminals are named "criminals" because they ignore any law they choose to ignore. Passing more laws only burdens the already lawful, and therefore innocent, citizens.
That must suck.
Also, gun control utopia's like NYC and Washington DC prove that disarming the innocent make them eaier victims for the criminal class. Guns are the great Satan to the good Reverend and yet not one of them did anything without a criminal act behind it.
First of all, I used the name Mr E when I had a radio talk show some while ago. I hope noone thinks you and I are the same.
Are you calling these men deadbeats because they do not live with the children? The mother is half the blame. Why don't you call her deadbeat, too? Are you calling him a deadbeat because he does not pay the mother any money? If the mother does not pay him money when the child or children are with him then she should be called a deadbeat, also. Are you calling him a deadbeat because he does not have the custody? Most fathers and mothers prefer the mother have primary custody because mothers are generally the primary caretaker. Therefore most men do not fight for primary custody for the sake of their children. Are you aware the WELFARE system actually displaced fathers who were in the home in order to help the family? The successor to the welfare system, CHILD SUPPORT, earns its money the same way but it does not provide the mothers a check. The same men who could not afford one household are now being demanded to provide for two. A better solution is Shared Parenting Legislation which presumes equal custody. Fewer children will be born out of wedlock, the couple will work better together both while together and apart. The CS System is an unfunded mandate that sabotages our families.
New laws are in Congress being drafted (as we speak) to create another snowball. What are we as spokespersons going to do to melt and destroy the first snowball and then stop the second one that's in the making? Talk wont do it. If you want to change peoples' behavior, talking wont do it. We've got to do something. I believe knowlege is the most powerful tool that one can have and use. We must educate our people...starting at the local level.
If talk could change behavior, then you could talk me out of smoking. So, if we know that simply talking about our problems (more specifically guns on our streets, deaths of our neighbors) hasn't worked, then do more educating...Rev Sharpton. The Koch Brothers put together Think tanks. They meet frequently to create actions that are designed to keep us in our place...at least where THEY think OUR PLACE should be. Thank you.
Our history is not talked about because it makes whites uncomfortable and threatened. We have been conditioned that talking about our past is just bringing more racism into the mix. We should forget about it a move on. I think that if young people knew more about the rich history of Blacks struggle for equality in the 20th century, not only would they see the sacrifices made but the pride that Black people had. I think those that need to hear this don't look at the news or read the newspapers. What Min. Farrahkan does is break it down and tell it exactly the way it is. I am not a muslim, but I do listen to the ministers politics because its real, straight with no chaser. That is why the powers that be fear him. They force others, such as our president to disassociate themselves from him. The Black church and the Nation should come together with a grass roots program to go to the streets where the violence orginates and gather these young people and talk to them. From what I heard gang members say is they join gangs because they are a family and they feel they belong. They're lost, they need guidance.