In Los Angeles, CA, they have been reducing gun-related crime through the "Gun Buyback" program. On December 26, 2012, more than 2,000 weapons, which included assault rifles and two rocket launchers, were turned in. The Gun Buyback rewards voluntary surrender while moving towards the goal of reducing gun violence in the community. Since 2009 almost 10,000 weapons have been gathered.
Those who participate receive a pre-paid gift card in an amount dependant on the type of weapon. Assault weapons may net up to $200, while handguns, rifles and shotguns net up to $100.
This program is supported through corporate sponsorship and donations.
While the good news is Los Angeles has found an innovative way to make some ground in the fight against gun and gang-related violence, other parts of the country next door are pushing for more guns in their communities.
The shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school has sparked a movement towards arming teachers in schools. In Utah almost 200 teachers volunteered for and attended six hours of firearms training, where they also applied for concealed weapons permits. They were taught how to disarm when being threatened and told to "show their gun and then take cover."
Utah is not the only place that has held gun training for teachers. Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is calling for state-funded specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators. Throughout the states gun training is being offered and teachers are preparing to arm themselves.
Newtown, Conn., Superindent of Schools Janet Robinson spoke on Capitol Hill during a House hearing on gun violence. She said she felt remarks made after the shooting suggesting that Principal Dawn Hochsprung could have killed the shooter had she been armed were "insensitive." Robinson said, "She wasn't at her desk and no good principal is."
She rejected the NRA proposal to place armed guards in every classroom, noting that the weapon used in the Sandy Hook shooting was a semi-automatic. "They didn't have a chance," she said.
She add that she couldn't imagine an armed schoolteacher sitting on the floor with small children and the risk an inexperienced gun-owner would pose to those children.
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the bill of rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess and carry firearms. This amendment was adopted 221 years ago. I am sure life during the time of George Washington and the American Revolution was quite different than it is now. Living out in the Appalachian mountains most likely required one to own a gun to protect property or fend off a lost black bear that wandered too close to civilization. Or perhaps to put food on the table in the 1700s. One still may want to keep a gun around for invading wildlife or sport hunting. But I believe we do have something called law enforcement for protection in the 21st century. Perhaps it's time for a new and revised constitution more suited to a nation moving forward.
I DON'T believe we can prevent all gun-related violence with more guns. The Newtown massacre was a horrible tragedy. One that would seem to call into question a failing mental health system not an insufficient security issue.
Writer Charlotte Allen, born in Toronto, and living Connecticut since 1970, posted a blog on the National Review Online, suggesting if Sandy Hook had a couple of male teachers who had played high-school football, or even some of the huskier 12-year-old boys, had converged on Lanza things may have been different. Okay, Charlotte, banging my head on the desk now. Any further suggestions like that are best kept underwraps.
