Survey: 1 in 5 Americans has lost a family member to gun violence

Survey: 1 in 5 Americans has lost a family member to gun violence.

Memphis board to vote Wednesday on reinstating expelled state legislator.

Myanmar junta kills at least 100 in air strike.

NATIONAL NEWS

Just a day after a mass shooting claimed six lives, including the gunman, in Louisville, KY, the Kaiser Family Foundation has released the results of a survey suggesting that 1 in every 5 Americans has lost a family member to guns. The survey was conducted last month, a week before the Nashville school shooting, with a representative sample of over 1200 US adults. The results also shed light on increasing anxiety about guns.

Overall the study found that 19% of American adults has had a family member killed by a gun, including by suicide. Regarding gun threats, 21% of Americans reporting having been personally threatened with a gun, while 35% said a family member had been threatened. Seventeen percent of respondents reported having witnessed a shooting, while 28% said a family member had witnessed a shooting.

The study showed stark disparities among different racial populations. Black adults (34%) were more than twice as likely as whites (17%) to report having lost a family member to guns. One in five Black adults (20%) also reported worrying every day that they or someone you they loved would be a victim of gun violence. By contrast, only 3% of white adults said this a daily worry.

Parents of children under 18 (12%) were also more likely than those without minor children (5%) to worry about a loved one falling victim to gun violence.

More than half (51%) of respondents considered gun violence where they lived either a “constant threat” or a “major concern” (Blacks 62%/whites 45%. Blacks (20%) were significantly more likely than whites (8%) to consider gun violence a “constant threat”.

Precautions and gun safety

Eight in ten adults (84%) said they had taken at least one precaution to protect themselves or their families against gun violence. This included things like talking to children or family members about gun safety (58%), taking a gun safety class (41%), purchasing a weapon other than a gun (44%).

Others said they’d changed or considered altering their habits or living situation. Over a third (35%) said they avoid large crowds, such as festivals, bars or clubs while 23% said they avoided using public transportation. Twenty percent had changed or considered moving their child to a different school and 15% said they’d moved to a different neighborhood or city.

Nearly a third (29%) said they’d purchased a gun themselves. Whites (35%) were more likely than Blacks (24%) to have purchased a gun.

However, three in four gun owners (75%) said they either stored guns in their homes in the same place as ammunition (52%), in an unlocked location (44%) or loaded (36%). More alarmingly, 78% of parents with children in the home said they stored their guns in one of these unsafe conditions (61% in the same place as ammunition; 32% unlocked; 32% loaded).

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Memphis board to vote Wednesday on reinstating expelled state legislator

Last week, the Tennessee state legislature voted to expel two of the three Democrat members who engaged in a protest demanding gun reform on the floor of the House. The Republican supermajority voted to expel Justin Jones (of Nashville) and Justin Pearson (of Memphis), who are both Black. Gloria Johnson (of Knoxville), who is white, kept her seat, by one vote.

Yesterday, Nashville’s Metropolitan Council voted unanimously (36-0) to reinstate Justin Jones to his seat. Shortly thereafter, Jones was sworn in on the steps of the statehouse. On Wednesday, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to reinstate Pearson to his seat representing the western edge of Memphis.

Tennessee House Republicans said in a statement that while Jones and Pearson will be “welcomed back” if reappointed, “like everyone else, they are expected to follow the rules of the House as well as state law”.

Jones has vowed to introduce gun reform legislation in the remaining weeks of this legislative session. The protest that he, Pearson and Johnson took part in was in response to hundreds of protesters who gathered at the statehouse demanding gun reforms after the March 27 school shooting in Nashville.

More and more protesters have gathered each day at the statehouse, voicing frustration at being ignored by the pro-gun Republican majority. Jones and Pearson’s expulsions, which many consider an undemocratic act, has only drawn more scrutiny and more protesters.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Myanmar junta kills at least 100 in air strike

A ruthless military dictatorship, the Tatmadaw, as ruled in Myanmar since Feb. 2021. Having imprisoned or executed the country’s elected civilian leadership, the military has since fought an all-out civil war against armed pro-democracy groups as well as ethnic rebel groups. At least 3000 civilians are believed to have been killed since the military seized power.

While the military is able to easily hold Myanmar’s cities, rebel groups have implanted themselves in the countryside and even joined forces with armed ethnic rebels, who have long experience fighting Myanmar’s military. The pro-democracy contingent has even managed to form a rival government (National Unity Government, or NUG) to the junta.

This morning, about 150 people had gathered to celebrate the opening of a NUG administrative office in Pazigyi village, about 70 miles north of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. An eyewitness described the harrowing scene that unfolded:

“I was standing a short distance from the crowd when a friend of mine contacted me on the phone about the approach of a fighter jet. The jet dropped bombs directly on the crowd, and I jumped into a nearby ditch and hid. A few moments later, when I stood up and looked around, I saw people cut to pieces and dead in the smoke. The office building was destroyed by fire. About 30 people were injured. While the wounded were being transported, a helicopter arrived and shot more people. We are now cremating the bodies quickly.”

All the victims were civilians. At least 20-30 children were among the dead.

The Tatmadaw has far more sophisticated military hardware than the rebel forces. Rebel areas have no means of defending themselves against air strikes, which have become more and more common. Western countries, including the US and UK, have imposed sanctions to try to prevent the Tatmadaw from obtaining jet fuel to carry out these strikes.

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Western oil companies continue profiting handsomely from doing business with the Tatmadaw, despite sanctions.

US, European firms helping Tatmadaw manufacture arms to use against their own civilians.

Survey: 1 in 5 Americans has lost a family member to gun violence – National & International News – TUE 11Apr2023

NATIONAL NEWS