This too is Yonkers- by Eric W. Schoen
And I asked you last week, ‘What’s Going On in Our Country?’
That was right after the Garlic Festival Shooting. Now we have mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Over 31 innocent individuals killed. Some lost their lives just because they happen to be in Walmart at the wrong time. Americans are scared. Americans are worried.
I was just praying that the gunman in El Paso, Texas was not an illegal immigrant. Imagine how that would have changed the story!
Look what happened as we go to press. Motorcyclists in Times Square. One or maybe more of the cycles backfired creating a sound like gunfire. People running for their lives, even to the point of interrupting a Broadway show. People simply trying to get cover from what they thought were guns going off.
We think we know what to do to solve the problem. I’ll share some specifics with you. We sadly have heard them all before. But don’t don’t think for a minute that they alone will stop gun violence in America. And that the folks in Washington will support proposals they have heard so many times before. And did nothing or very very little.
Better and more availability of Mental Health services. People with good health insurance can’t find a psychiatrist or a psychologist or a certified therapist or social worker to help them deal with the issues they have. Imagine those with no health insurance?
Marijuana and other drugs are killing people everyday. Causing people to do crazy stuff. Cocaine, Crack, Heroin. I’m no drug expert but I have to tell you that I don’t believe legalization of pot in New York will really help the situation. And just like horse racing and gambling, why do states want to legalize these things? Yes, friends it’s all about the money!
Red flag laws that allow police to confiscate a weapon if a judge determines the possessor is a danger to themselves or others, The request to remove the gun usually comes from a friend or family members.
Many blame violent video games children play for causing these mass shootings. Still others blame the movies and videos people watch. Should we censor movies? This week I saw the new Quentin Tarantino movie. Always plenty of gun violence in his movies. People are afraid of guns and want solutions but Tarantino’s movie was tops at the box office!
Mandatory Background checks before people who wish to legally obtain guns are subject to searches of their backgrounds to see if anything raises a flag that should not allow that person to possess a weapon. Searches must include the databases of all 50 states, not just those states that decide to opt in.
President Trump has got to tone down his speeches and tweets. His racist remarks are below the Office of the President. Sadly the media love his tweets. Digital subscriptions at newspapers across the country are on the rise. It’s not because more people are reading their horoscopes or they are printing better recipes.
People love to see Twitter wars. And we should not. And they are not something our President nor Congress should be involved in! A U.S.A. Today poll just out shows that a pitiful 7% of those surveyed in the poll have contacted their elected officials to press for stronger gun laws. That’s what we, the people should be tweeting about!
What does the average citizen need a gun with a large capacity magazine? Most of these mass shootings involve individuals with guns with large magazines. Banning high-capacity magazines will likely significantly decrease the number of fatalities a shooter could inflict in a single attack, and increase chances for bystanders to intervene when the shooter is caught off guard,
Active shooter drills. Most schools in this country have them, but there is conflicting evidence as to there effectiveness. Proof that drills have any effect on mass shootings in schools is hard to come by. Educators argue that the realistic drills are so frightening that they cause needless trauma to students of all ages.
‘Hardening’ schools with metal detectors and security guards? Research has shown that boosting security at schools with armed security, metal detectors, and reducing access to buildings has little to no effect on the likelihood of a school shooting when compared to more preventative and early measures.
Have you learned anything you were not aware of? I doubt it. What we need is a gathering of the nation’s brightest individuals in the field of mass shootings to come up with new solutions to this troubling problem..
I leave you with one thing bystanders can do when confronted with gun violence? First, if possible, stop the bleeding. Swelling and discoloration are signs of the hemorrhaging anyone can recognize. Researchers studying American war zones have attributed 90 percent of preventable deaths to uncontrolled bleeding, and ordinary soldiers aren’t exclusively capable of managing blood loss. You can control hemorrhaging by applying manual pressure, or by fastening a tourniquet—improvised or commercial—high and tight on the limb.
Don’t be afraid to go out. Go to Walmart. Keep your eyes open and report what you see.
Breaking News. The girl who.shot the girl on North Avenue was sentenced to 17 ny ears of jail time. The system works! There is justice in America!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
