Thayne Tuason via Wikimedia Commons

ANALYSIS – In the latest news on the ‘gun violence’ front, a major liberal-leaning think tank report recommends numerous solutions to the ‘gun violence’ surge plaguing our nation’s capital.

And in a typically written news story, the reporter sees no irony in repeatedly using the liberal ‘gun violence’ term even when none of the solutions being proposed have anything to do with guns.

In the old days it was simply called violence, or ‘shooting,’ if you wanted to be more specific. Now it is ‘gun violence.’ All part of the liberal campaign to weaponize language to achieve political goals.

In this case, gun control.

And when I first saw the online story, titled ‘Criminal justice institute offers suggestions for curbing gun violence in DC,’ on local DC news site WTOP, I assumed it would be yet another gun control screed.

And indeed, the reporter, and the think, tried their best to still make it sound as if the crisis of criminals and the mentally ill, using guns for violence is about the guns, by liberally (pun intended) sprinkling the term ‘gun violence’ throughout.

As the first paragraph starts off:

Gun violence in the nation’s capital continues to be a serious problem: Last year, D.C. surpassed 200 homicides for the first time in 17 years. And this year could be a repeat, with 65 homicides reported as of Monday, compared with 64 this time last year.

It then quotes the report, saying: “[D.C.] is lacking the political commitment, coordination, and a coherent strategy to reduce gun violence.

However, the narrative soon goes off the rails when the story notes that:

Some [all?] of the recommendations focus on prevention and intervention, which involve data-driven approaches to finding and helping those who are at high risk of committing or becoming a victim of violent crimes.

And then gets to the real point of what causes ‘gun violence.’ And surprise – it is NOT guns. Instead, the story notes:

The institute also recommended a focus on the “root causes” of gun violence. Among younger residents who have run-ins with law enforcement, some of the factors of concern include homelessness, removal from foster care, school suspensions, psychotic disorders and living in areas of high crime, known as “hot blocks.”

There is also a call for the District to set up a real-time incident review-and-response center, or a “Peace Room,” which would serve as an emergency operation center for gun violence.

The center would help with the sharing of intelligence, as well as with police and community outreach information, and it would send outreach workers — in addition to first responders — to the scenes of shootings.

The institute also calls for weekly law enforcement meetings to review every shooting that occurred in the week prior.

Of course, rather than focusing on more police, increased law enforcement funding, more proactive policing, and more aggressive prosecutions, the story notes that the Institute recommends other typical liberal solutions, like life coaches and social workers:

D.C. to hire and retain 62 life coaches, 50 violence interrupters and 20 outreach workers. Violence interrupters would respond to shootings to help a victim’s family and provide crowd and rumor control; outreach workers would help high-risk people find and enroll in services; and life coaches would be teamed up with those people to help them develop both life and safety plans.

There is also a socialist recommendation for a “guaranteed income initiative” that would select 200 Black families who have children younger than 10 and household incomes below $50,000 and give them $750 monthly.

The stated goal of all these recommendations is to reduce homicides, non-fatal shootings and armed robberies involving guns by 10% per year.

While they continue to misleadingly call it ‘gun violence,’ and many of the recommendations are overly focused on the liberal myth that violent crime is caused by poverty that can be resolved simply by throwing more taxpayer money, and social workers, at the poor, at least these groups are finally acknowledging the elephant in the room:

Guns don’t cause ‘gun violence,’ criminals and mentally ill people with guns do. At least that’s a start.

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AmericanActionNews.com




Comments

    1. But ask any woke liberal and they would call
      you a bigot and a racist Dan. The fact that CRIMINALS commit crimes, not inanimate objects like guns, is in direct conflict with the leftist talking points. That and the fact that most of this random violence is committed by blacks, on blacks. Their actions prove that black lives do not matter …. At least in the criminal’s mind.

      1. But you bring that point up to a black person and they call you every name they can think of. Or they laugh at you because they refuse to admit the obvious!!!!

  1. Now we call it “Gun Violence” Do we also call it knife violence, club violence, poison violence. How about fist and auto violence? Gimme ah break? Lock up the shooters for long periods of time for a start.

    1. Also it’s not a hate crime if a black kills a black. But it is if a white or a cop kills a black. All murder is hate, no matter what color they are.

  2. Well for most liberals…the root-cause of/for any problem “ya frickking mum wasn’t Pro-choice,enuff” or the Ukraine has real borders, unlike the ‘imaginary’ southern US borders, and, that why American tax-payers ought to be thrilled by all the money the DC-swamp, critters/politicians are sending them, to secure the Ukrainian border❓

  3. It used to be that murder carried an execution possibility. Not anymore. And there were certainly fewer violent crimes before as compared to these days, and that is because once a murdered was executed, it was guaranteed two things: 1) The murderer would never murder again – ever; and 2) other potential murderers took a second look at what they might do, and usually didn’t put their own lives at risk.

  4. Clint Eastwood said it best……If you could just reason with a Democrat, there wouldn’t be any Democrats.

  5. What can anyone say about elected or appointed persons to public office that dishonor their oath of office and lie to Congress? What can anyone say about elected or appointed persons who betray their office by being corrupt,taking money from communist China or others have their office position conflicted or compromised by selling out their Country for personal gain? Any one who profits or gains from his betrayal of public office should have to pay back all personal gain and profits or assets from this treasonous act against their Country. Impeachment should just be the beggining to a process of restitution. These traitors should see jail for their crimes of personal gain against the united States of America.

    REPLY

  6. Do I detect a little good sense returning to the left? Even they should now that guns don’t kill anything. People using guns do. Take guns from honest people only makes them more vulnerable to criminals, who can always find guns.

  7. A major liberal-leaning think tank, isn’t that an oxymoron…? I know I am not that bright, but I do have a measurable IQ,,, Somewhat!

  8. LISTEN UP….GUNS are NOT Allowed in HEAVEN Only SWORDS. Since SWORDS are NOT generally Used on EARTH the Next Best THING is a GUN. GUNS should be Used for SELF DEFENSE. FALLEN ANGELS use SWORDS. Even GOD has a SPECIAL SWORD. From SamuraiQueen. 😄😄😄😇😇😇

  9. I’ve been saying it for years!!!! Duns don’t kill people. They don’t get out of a gun cabinet by themselves. It’s not a gun issue, it’s a mental issue!!!!

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