Gun Violence, a public health Crisis?
Gun-control activists are leaving citizens high and dry while pushing minorities into a life of crime.
Statements from multiple law enforcement agencies in combination with statistical data for Delaware shows, the same 1.6% of offenders are committing violent crimes *repeatedly* before being prosecuted and sentenced.
What happens when we put a rotten apple in a basket of healthy fruit? Does the same thing not happen within society when violent individuals are continuously released into communities full of vulnerable children and adults?
“Tracy said that he’s spoken out about the dangers of illegal firearm possession and the importance of focusing on “those few individuals” with the highest propensity for violence.”
If Delaware lawmakers truly wanted to limit the amount of violence being committed against the innocent, it would make more sense to strictly enforce laws in regards to the “few” while upholding the rights of “many”. Educating the people on their rights & responsibilities is paramount.
Simultaneously, Delaware should be providing supports that enhance the opportunity for community reintegration and re-engagement after time served. Not one or the other.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings has made over 40 internal policy changes against the recommendations of law enforcement and domestic violence organizations that:
Lessen the penalties for even violent crimes
Demand the use of diversion programs/probation before judgement - even for repeat crimes like violations of lethal violence protection orders
Require community based services to be utilized over imprisonment - even when those services are severely understaffed, limited, and have long wait lists
Did away with laws that increase penalties for violent repeat offenders (3 strike felony laws)
It’s no wonder a growing number of individuals are deciding to purchase guns illegally as their neighborhoods become more dangerous due to the complete disregard for public safety within those changes.
How many of our young men, especially young black men, are in prison simply because they felt so unsafe in their own neighborhood that they decided to carry a firearm without the government’s permission?
If it wasn’t a crime to carry a firearm without kissing the government’s ring, how many of these shooting incidents happening in crime ridden neighborhoods would have been considered justified uses of deadly force?
“ “This is perhaps best exemplified by two individuals who, after being released pending trial following gun arrests in Wilmington last year, were shot and killed.””
Instead, those being forced to choose between safety and legality are disregarded, lumped into the “gun violence” category, and often prosecuted for acts of self-protection. This marginalization is causing a disproportionate number of black males to be
Prohibited from owning, possessing, purchasing, or controlling a firearm (Disarmament)
Be imprisoned unjustly
Over 80% of violent crimes occur in Wilmington where approximately 70% of the population is minority based and over 50% live below the poverty line. The right to self-defense does not end simply because the defender lives in poverty, belongs to a minority group, or lives in a community riddled with gangs and drugs.
The restriction of the 2nd Amendment and the barriers created by “common sense gun-control” is the very epitome of systemic racism and systematic disarmament of entire groups of people.
This is the same thing our legislature is now trying to do to those who do jump through the government’s hoops for lawful gun ownership and concealed carry.
We believe that was the intention behind Sen. Sarah McBride’s statements during a public committee hearing last session, equating lawful acts of self-defense to “shoot outs of the wild wild west” and lawful gun owners to “vigilantes”.
WDC President, Erin Chronister, had a phone conversation with Senator Kyra Hoffner on January 23, 2023. Senator Hoffner seemed to share the same sentiments as Sen. McBride when speaking about THIS incident.
“Chronister: “Imagine if the victim had a firearm. But, then again, that would be like the wild wild west, wouldn’t it?”
”EXACTLY!”, exclaimed Hoffner. “You don’t want that, do you?””
Either Hoffner assumed the victim was a part of the problem or she truly doesn’t believe the people should have the right to defend themselves. Either way, as lawmakers, the belief of “innocent until proven guilty” is imperative. Yet, that standard seems to have gone out the window with this senator… and others.
We would like to heavily point out, the Federal and State Constitutions demand everyone have access to their right to bear arms for, among other things, self-defense. Considering the majority of those surrounded by violence in crime ridden communities live well below the poverty level, legal carry is unattainable for so many due to the exorbitant costs associated and the extensive hoops to jump through with legal concealed carry.
For those in the back….We’ll say it louder.
The right to self-defense does not end simply because the defender lives in poverty, belongs to a minority group, or lives in a community riddled with gangs and drugs.
Democrat Rep. David Bentz screamed it from the rooftops in 2017, "We claim 'as Wilmington goes, so goes Delaware' and yet we fail to implement CDC and WEIC recommendations that could make a difference."
Studies referenced by Rep. Bentz were conducted by the CDC and WEIC in attempts to slow and/or stop incidents of gun related violence within Wilmington.
The Wilmington Education Improvement Committee is designed to identify and uplift low performing schools where the majority of students live in poverty. They recommended fixing other social and economical challenges faced daily by inner city youth.
It truly seems, lawmakers and the Attorney General are implementing these same “school rules” within adult society. Efforts to create a more inclusive community where those participating in delinquent behaviors are hoped to find a sense of attainable success through an abundance of chances & supports (rather than a combination of supports & consequences) is not working. Violent gun related fatalities have only climbed over the past 4 years due to these “zero tolerance” type systems.
Senator Pinkney, SCR 12 sponsor, speaking. Shooting incidents and fatalities from those shootings were at an all-time low in 2018. Despite a rise in 2017, years prior those incidents had been on a rapid & steady decline thanks to Matthew Denn’s combined efforts of reform and attention to public safety.
There must be a balance when creating equitable change. Removing strict accountability for violent behaviors within the school or adult societal setting is a dangerous approach that provides zero incentive for postitive change.
NOT once, from ANY study, has it ever been recommended to restrict a basic right of the people, disproportionately subjecting them to violence in within their own communities.
Senator Marie Pinkney has been a supporter of all gun control measures proposed over the last 4 years. Her support for these measures while ignoring the fact that constituents are being forced to choose between safety and lawfulness has added to the mass incarceration of black men and youth that she claims to adamantly oppose.
We wholeheartedly disagree with our Legislature who voted to declare gun violence a public health crisis. By continuing to release those who have already shown a propensity for extreme violence, Delaware is creating a safe haven for criminals while forcing low income individuals and families into making a choice between safety and prison.
The bottom line is…. The trust that Sen. Pinkney speaks of has been broken. Rather than combating the injustices practiced for so long in Delaware, they are fueling them by attacking the basic rights of the people while releasing the same repeat violent offenders back into the communities we are supposed to be raising our families in.
