Guns and children mix into a very lethal situation. Teenage boys are now
more likely to die of gunshot wounds than from all natural causes combined.
Homicides by kids with guns has tripled since 1983, so, where do we go from
here?
Recent polls indicate some alarming information. 35% of children from age 6
to 12 fear that their lives will be ended by gun violence. Most of the
violence is committed by juveniles and against juveniles, but no segment of
society is left untouched by the fear of the escalating violence. Parents are
less likely to let their children walk to school alone or play on play
grounds after school. Many of the elderly simply lock themselves in and
create their own prison of sorts.
So, what is the cause of this escalation of violence. Most experts always
list the deterioration of the traditional family as a leading cause. Many
experts list the following in various order: poverty, violence in the media,
drugs, and gangs. Other factors which appear to be heavily related are
one-parent or no-parent homes.
Things are not all gloom and doom. There are many successful programs which
have the potential to bring the violence under control. The police won't make
these programs work. It will take every citizen, every businessman, every
parent, and every police officer working as a team.
An eight step action plan was recently proposed by the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention:
1) Provide immediate intervention and appropriate sanctions and treatment for
delinquent juveniles.
2) Prosecute certain serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders in
criminal court.
3) Reduce youth involvement with guns, drugs, and gangs.
4) Provide opportunities for children and youth.
5) Break the cycle of violence by addressing youth victimization, abuse, and
neglect.
6) Strengthen and mobilize communities.
7) Support the development of innovative approaches to research and
evaluation.
8) Implement an aggressive public outreach campaign on effective strategies
to combat juvenile violence.
Sounds like a fairly good plan if we could get everyone behind it and make it
work. If not, it would simply be another pie in the sky exercise in politics.
Tom Rightmer - Victims' Rights Advocate
... Weather forecast for tonight: dark.
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