Killadelphia- The City of Brutally Love?

Gun Violence. Something that could affect you, your family, and community. I hear a lot about fatal shootings on the news, from people, and social media. I could have lost my cousin because he was a victim of gun violence. He was shot four times, and I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see him again. This is something that goes through the minds of millions of people throughout the world each day when they learn that a loved one is a victim of gun violence. But what are we going to do about it? Are we going to just sit around and let this happen to young men and women? There are so many reasons why this is happening. You can find these reasons in your own backyard. We may think if this does not happen to us or are family we are fine. But maybe the neighborhood you live in isn’t.  How do you know if you are safe or not? Is Philly a safe place to be? Is your neighborhood a safe place ? Or even better, are you mindful of your surroundings and what’s going on in the environment you live in? Are there ways of preventing this from happening in the city of Philadelphia? Come along with me on my journey to learn more about this topic on my “You and The World’ project to make Philadelphia and your neighborhood a safer and happier place to be.

At the close of 2014, Philadelphia was ranked #4 overall in number of gun murders with 729 people being killed throughout the United States. This is out of more than 35,000 cities and towns in the US that Philadelphia was listed fourth.  Above please see the statistics as it relates to gun shooting victims in the months of January through September in 2014.  The graph below shows the number of shooting victims by for each day in the month of August of 2014.

http://guncrisis.org/category/statistics/

The statistics help to paint the picture of how severe this problem in our city.There was some hope for Philadelphians in January of 2015 when Tom Wolf was installed as the Governor of Pennsylvania.  Prior to being elected, Governor Wolf was endorsed by CeasefirePA, the leading gun control group in Pennsylvania.  Governor Wolf has taken a strong stance on gun issues in the state of Pennsylvania which will have a direct impact on Philadelphia.  Here are some of the changes that would possibly take place based on Governor Wolf’s stance:

• Governor Wolf supports expanding gun background checks to include the private sale of both rifles and shotguns.

• Governor Wolf supports background checks for the purchase of ammunition. This would mean that anytime you needed ammunition, you’d have to have a background check.

• Governor Wolf is also open to providing support for bills requiring businesses to have a license to sell or transfer ammunition.

• Governor Wolf is considered requiring all firearms, not just handguns and pistols, to have locking devices on them.

• Governor Wolf opposes national reciprocity, which means those people who are hoping to be able to cross state lines and still have their permit to carry concealed valid, are probably not going to see it during his term.

These are just a few of the stances that Governor Wolf has proposed to take as it relates to gun issues in Pennsylvania.  These stances would not only affect those that legally carry firearms but also the suppliers.  This brings hope for our city and our communities.  I am hopeful that better control through regulations and stricter background checks, we can begin to seek to remedy this problem in our city, hopefully save some lives, and be known as we should be “Philadelphia- The City of Brotherly Love.  

Throughout learning and gathering further information on my topic, I hope to educate you on gun issues in Philadelphia, and what to be aware of in your neighborhood. I am ready and looking forward to helping to make a difference in Philadelphia for you and to be in a healthier and safer place as we should be.

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