The American Way

Gun violence has always been an issue in the United States. It’s America’s greatest hamartia. After the Sandy Hook shooting, Gun Laws have been heavily scrutinized within the media and legislation. Looking at the data, gun violence doesn't seem like it’s higher than years past. However, the media feeds off of fear and anxiety, so with every shooting of two or more, CNN and our other news giants will be sure to headline it as BREAKING NEWS.

Growing up in Miami, I thought it was normal to turn on the news and hear about a few homicides a day. So, whenever I heard people from outside of Miami talk about the violence in my city, I didn't understand what the big deal was until I moved to Tallahassee, FL to attend Florida A&M University. Tallahassee, FL, the capital, on average has about nine murders per year where Miami has about 67. That is when I realized that Miami had a problem.

www.City-Data.com
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	Average
Tallahassee	8	7	9	4	12	9	10	5	8	6	13	10	8.4
Per 100,000	5.6	4.5	5.7	2.5	7.6	5.6	6.2	3.1	4.7	3.4	7.4	5.4	5.14
Miami	66	66	65	74	69	54	77	78	63	59	68	68	67.3
Per 100,000	16.9	17.7	17.1	19.4	17.9	13.9	19.6	19.0	14.7	14.1	15.4	16.8	16.9

*Miami data does not include surrounding cities

According to the FBI, there are certain variables that contribute to differences in crime from location to location. Some factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

*Population density and degree of urbanization.
*Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration. 
*Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors. 
*Modes of transportation and highway system. 
*Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability. 
*Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics. 
*Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness. 
*Climate. 
*Effective strength of law enforcement agencies. 
*Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement. 
*Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probational). 
*Citizens’ attitudes toward crime. 
*Crime reporting practices of the citizenry.

The FBI has suggestions as to what contributes to violence but have they determined what contributes towards gun violence? America is known for its need for speed and enjoying the effortless way of doing things; fast food, fast service, fast internet, fast emails, so why not use a gun which is the fastest and easiest method to kill/harm someone?

To tackle the gun issue, I think it’s important to not focus on crimes involving guns as a whole but to break it down into sub-groups. Should mass homicide prevention be conducted the same way one would prevent street shootings? Mass shootings, usually targeting (but not limited too) innocent bystanders should be in a field of its own. The debate with mass shootings is the type of guns being used. With that in mind, the President and several political figures have announced their support to ban military-style assault weapons. However, CNN reports that there are 6,000 people a year that are killed by hand guns alone. If you compare this to the Newtown massacre, it’s 239 times that a year (CNN 2013). So, should we be focusing on handguns instead?

The figure above details gun-related homicides in 2011 by weapon type. This breakdown has remained consistent across the most recent five years of data made available by the FBI.

Being that I am not a gun fanatic, my boyfriend was able to breakdown the gun jargon and explain to me what makes a gun semi-automatic.

Semi-automatic guns are not machine guns. You pull the trigger once, and it shoots one bullet. Jeff Serdy explained to Fox News during an interview that labeling a gun an ‘assault’ weapon has nothing to do with how deadly it is. Scrutinizing all of the 2012 mass shootings, none of the suspects used an automatic weapon (mainly due to the fact that automatic weapons are banned). When you squeeze the trigger on an automatic weapon, bullets keep firing out of the gun until you stop squeezing. The military’s M-16 used to be automatic, however, the military has shied away from automatic firing and the latest M-16’s have three-shot burst and is semi-automatic. AR-15s, which is the civilian equivalent to the M-16, is not automatic and does not have three-shot burst. The difference between semi-automatic and a regular gun is that you do not need to cock it or load it after each shot. Using the term semiautomatic is broad, since a number of guns are semiautomatic. 

The term ‘assault weapon’ is confusing, since all guns could be considered assault weapons. A book could be consider an assault weapon if you try to assault someone with it. So what makes a gun an ‘assault weapon’… is it the capabilities or the style of a gun? Just because it may look like a military style gun, doesn't mean it’s more deadly. Any gun can be an assault weapon and there is no clear definition on what an assault weapon is. However, there is a clear definition for what an ‘assault rifle’ is. Assault rifles are automatic guns, and as aforementioned, automatic guns are already banned. The gun used in the Sandy Hook massacre was a semiautomatic rifle. In the 13 mass shootings that occurred last year (not including gang shootings), only four could be positively linked back to using a semi-automatic gun. In regards to rifles, only four shooters could be linked to using a rifle (with one being semi-automatic). Seven of the suspects used handguns (with three being semiautomatic) in their shootings. (Keep in mind, that some of the suspects used multiple fire arms.)

In the article ‘Mass Shootings in 2012: Crimesider reports on this year's public shootings’, Julia Dahli researched the 13 mass shootings and determined whether the guns used were stolen or registered to the shooter and what type of gun was used. Dahli also researched the gun laws in every state where the shootings occurred to see if the states with stricter gun laws benefited. In the Sandy Hook case, a background check would not have mattered since the shooter stole the gun from his mother. In the 13 shootings, only three of the shooters’ guns could be positively identified as guns that were legally purchased by the shooter. And in Connecticut, the gun laws are moderately strict.

So what does a previously convicted criminal who is still engaged in illegally activity do when he/she needs a gun and they are not allowed to get one because their resident state requires a background check? They steal their weapons or buy them under the table. 

What about mass shootings? Do these shooters usually have a criminal history? Some do, and some don’t. However, this is usually the first thing the media and the courts look for when dealing with a suspected shooter. The report usually includes ‘he/she had no criminal history’ after the defendant is charged with a crime. So… what does that even mean? In my perspective, it tells us that people with no criminal history can become criminals, murders, rapist, etc. So background checks may not be the best answer to reducing gun violence, but it could help. The more you rules you enforce, the more people you will be able to eliminate from legally owning a gun… assuming people are obtaining their guns the legal way.

Looking around the world, especially at countries that do not allow their citizens to own guns, I ask ‘how is the homicide rate in other countries in comparison to the United States’? Let’s look at countries that ban guns, there may be less shootings occurring (because amazingly, countries that have a ban on guns, will still have homicides due to guns) but what about stabbings? Setting someone on fire? What about stoning someone to death? Has those countries looked into their Stoning Laws? Or does their constitution allow them the right to bear stones?

The problem here is not guns. Correlation doesn't mean causation. Most murders are committed by men, so should we just ban men from using guns? Not be sexiest, but I think we would actually see some relief with this option. Criminals and murders like guns because guns provided a more quick, easy and efficient way to kill. And being that America is one of the richest countries on earth; Americans can afford guns and the ammunition, unlike other countries. 

Looking at the states with the strictest gun laws, you will notice that these states still suffer from high homicide rates due to guns. So strict gun laws doesn't mean the problem will be solved. It’s not the weapon but the mentality. Who’s doing all the killings in Chicago? Well, there is lots of gang violence plaguing Chicago. Is it as easy as 1,2,3… Get rid of the gangs and you will see a decrease in homicides. 

Banning guns is the ultimate catholicon. Banning guns will only make America a scarier place because it would leave honest, law abiding citizens unarmed, and the criminals will have an unfair advantage. Culturally, an American would shoot you. In Afghanistan, you would be blown up. In other countries they will set you on fire or stab you. In some places, you could be stoned or even beheaded. Yes… beheaded. Culturally, Americans have leaned towards the more effective way to kill someone… with a gun.

Discriminating Against the Mentally Ill

The term mentally ill is widely used and could mean severely different things. And after volunteering with a Mentally Ill hotline, I know that people with a mental illness does not want to be categorized as being mentally ill but rather someone living with a mental illness. Now, after several mass shooters have been linked to having a mental illness, it seems as if all people living with a mental illness will have to pay for what a few have done. It’s unfair to link all citizens with a mental illness into one large group of ‘mentally unfit to own a gun’ because being mentally ill could mean so many different things. And mentally ill does not mean that your violent or attend to harm others. The Sandy Hook shooter was described as having Aspergers. But last time I checked, Aspergers was a form of autism, not a mental illness.

You hear the media addressing gun violence like it’s all the same. To attack such a behemoth issue, I would suggest dividing it into fractions. You cannot solve all gun violence issues using one method. And although they have stated that they don’t want to band all guns… well, this would be fine with me but I think about home many citizens this will impact people who have never committed a crime and don’t intend to. I have more faith in the legal system that the 2nd Amendment will stand firm and the right to bear arms will remain our constitutional right. However, I truly don’t believe that banning guns is going to solve the gun violence and if it does reduce gun violence, another type of violence will merge if it is not done properly. It is an adiaphorous belief that banning a certain type of gun will eliminate America’s ‘problem child’ (aka the Mass Shooter). 

With or without semiautomatic guns, homicides will still take place, as you can see from the statistics… and when you eliminate one evil, another rises in its place. I think they should actually take the time to look at the data, and analyze it correctly. Focus more on the individuals and early warning signs and use that along with other research to build an approach to prevent these senseless mass shootings, instead of running to legislation with a ‘feel good’ law – laws that make the citizens feel good and safe when it ultimately doesn't really prevent anything. Because at the end, someone mentally disturbed who is determined to kill many people all at once, will. That is why our focus should be on the individual and coming to their rescue before it is too late.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/29/us/handguns-and-federal-legislation

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57559329-504083/mass-shootings-in-2012-crimesider-reports-on-this-years-public-shootings/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/16/gun-debate-what-makes-gun-assault-rifle/

A Dedication to the Idiot

We usually look to the New Year as a new beginning to officially leave parts of us in the past. This year, I experienced a few eye opening events, which has changed me forever. Which is why, I am not the same person I was yesterday. And looking back at older blog post, I find myself having completely different opinions – I no longer firmly believe in the things I use to firmly believe in. Life show’s you evolution, and it’s not as complex as Darwin would have made us think it was. The evolution of mind is happening every day, right now even. And as my mind evolved I realized that there comes a time in one’s life (especially my own), that you have to follow your heart.

The Idiot Asylum originated as a haven for the mentally wounded. The doors of the Asylum were always left open for the ingenuous, simple minded, and complacent. Here, we offered a different way of viewing things – thinking out side of the symmetrical cube laid before us. And just as your mind should have evolved, the Asylum too will evolve.

For 2013, the asylum will get a little more personal. A little more real. A little more provocative. And it will all be a representation of us and the issues we try to leave inside the closet.

 

In 2013, I don’t want to make a list of things I want to do, but rather the things I want to change. I want to kick the habit of bad habits. I want to destroy certain behavior patterns that have caused me to not have the complete life of happiness that I long for.

In closing, I would like to leave an excerpt of my favorite quote. This passage proved me the inspiration for this blog, because I, too, have experienced the fear of my very own existence.

"While in a state of philosophic pessimism and general depression of spirits about my prospects, I went one evening into a dressing-room in the twilight to procure some article that was there; when suddenly there fell upon we without any warning, just as if it came out of the darkness, a horrible fear of my own existence. Simultaneously there arose in my mind the image of an epileptic patient whom I had seen in the asylum, a black-haired youth with greenish skin, entirely idiotic, who used to sit all day on one of the benches, or rather shelves against the wall, with his knees drawn up against his chin, and the coarse gray undershirt, which was his only garment, drawn over them inclosing his entire figure. He sat there like a sort of sculptured Egyptian cat or Peruvian mummy, moving nothing but his black eyes and looking absolutely non-human. This image and my fear entered into a species of combination with each other. That shape am I, I felt, potentially, nothing that I possess can defend me against that fate; if the hour for it should strike for me as it struck for him. There was such a horror of him that it was as if something hitherto solid within my breast gave way entirely and I became a mass of quivering fear. After this the universe was changed for me altogether. I awoke morning after morning with a horrible dread at the pit of my stomach, and with a sense of the insecurity of life that I never knew before, and that I have never felt since. It was like a revelation; and although the immediate feelings passed away, the experience has made me sympathetic with the morbid feelings of others ever since."

– William James

Can a hoe become a house wife?

Witnessing a crack head in DC aggressively asking for spare change, you can’t help but to wonder how did he end up in this predicament? It’s hard to believe that this crack head was once an innocent child, who was told that the possibilities of a bright future were endless. He could have been anything he wanted to be. Or at least that is what they say. I once asked a friend if he thought Presidents were born or were presidents made. He replied with the ingenuous answer of ‘President are made’. In a way this is true. Presidents are made but they are also born, and they are set to fit certain criterion which includes an education from an Ivy League school and/or military background, they have certain connections and big dollar signs behind them to influence and support their campaign/agenda. So when they tell us that we can be anything we want to be, I cringe inside. Some positions, some goals, some aspirations in life is not fully in our control. You can hold your breath until you turn blue, but that won’t make you the President. There is no way in hell I can run for president in 2016 and win without being accepted and endorsed by ‘the people who make dreams come true’. There is more to the story than just hard work, blood, sweat and tears for most success stories. There are different paths set up for us because in this world we need our crack heads, we need or burger flippers, criminals, police, we need our teachers, doctors, presidents and prostitutes. Everyone plays an important role and without one, you wouldn’t need the other. Some take the path of an Urban Crack Head while a selected few become President. It’s a matter of preparation meeting opportunity… a vast percentage of chance.

Some hoes, can infact become house wives.

As long as you work hard, you can achieve your goals. I know I am pretty fledging in regards to corporate politics, but I can aver that working hard isn’t tantamount to success. I remember sitting in one of my college courses when I heard the phrase ‘work smart, not hard’. Just look around, in this land of opportunity, the people that work using blood, sweat and tears are your factory workers, farmers, custodians, car washers, construction workers, miners… all minimum wage jobs. You get paid more to use your brain, rather than using your body/strength. Education is important when it comes to ‘success’, whatever ‘success’ may equate to. The smarter you are, the more knowledge you possess in that peanut brain of yours, the more the likely hood of you possessing something that some company/consumer wants. Which means you don’t have to work that hard, you just sit in your office in front of the computer and make sure the blue collars are doing their job like they’re suppose to.

I took an Organizational Behavior course my last summer at FAMU and in the course we briefly talked about POWER and its definition. I mean, we hear it all the time, but what makes someone powerful? Well, power is having something that the majority of people don’t have. Power is having something that everyone else wants. You see it now, where people have a lot of money and that grants them power. The mistake with just having power due to money is that once you lose the money, you lose the power. I am more of an advocate for power through knowledge. And as long as you possess this knowledge, you will maintain your power, which in return will present money. Think about innovators – Apple for instance, and the brain power behind that company. Apple has nine executives that made an estimated $441 million in 2011, which averages to $49 M per executive. Now, let’s look at Foxconn, the contracted company based in China that assembles Apple products. Foxconn has an estimated 95,000 employees with an estimated total pay of roughly the same amount, $441 M which is about $4,642 per worker per year.

It’s unfortunate that everyone can’t be a millionaire. Unfortunately, one of the inevitable truths is that there will be the rich and there will be the poor, the educated and the uneducated. But what we can be hopeful about is that being an American means that you have access to education. Yes, the trust-fund babies may have access to the best education (if they even care enough to be educated… but why would they when DADDY has them covered for life). The children in poor communities, they have to work a little harder to get the same education since those same resources wouldn’t be made available to them, not including the fact that people in poor communities usually don’t value education as much as they should. Not to mention, poor communities are usually saturated in crime, which then trickles into the classrooms, causing the teachers to focus more on discipline rather than educating, taking away from students who may have ‘bright futures’. But hey… the sky’s the limit and hindsight is 20/20. If I would have been thought the importance of an education, and given BIG words to study in high school maybe things would have been different for me and my SAT scores.

I am not saying that you can’t be anything that you want to be. You could, depending on the opportunities presented to you. But what I am saying is, you could have been that crack head on the streets in DC. Don’t praise yourself too much in regards to the things you have accomplished. Some of that was just chance (or God’s will, whatever you want to call it). Because I am sure there is someone more qualified, more educated, more deserving than you, but they weren’t presented with the same opportunities.

Disclaimer: I am not saying you can’t turn a crack head into a president, a criminal into a judge (may have to check the laws for that tho) or a hoe into a house wife… I am just saying that you can’t have one without the other. Everyone isn’t going to be ‘successful’ for whatever reason.