The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.
I will be posting this prompt on Sunday mornings (my time). If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.
This week’s Who Won the Week winner is, unfortunately, gun violence in America. So far this year, in just five months, there have been at least 232 mass shootings. And that includes 15 mass murders, which is defined as four or more people killed.
Meanwhile, two gun reform bills that have been passed by the House of Representatives are pending in the senate. These bills would require expanded background checks for gun purchasers and would give authorities ten business days for federal background checks to be completed before a gun sale can be permitted.
But these bills are unlikely to get passed in the Senate even though the majority of Americans, including Republicans, support more effective gun laws. But most Senate Republicans will vote against gun reform legislation. And even with the Democrats holding a 51-50 majority in the Senate (with VP Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote giving the Dems the majority), the Republicans will block gun reform legislation due to the filibuster.
The filibuster is a Senate procedural rule that requires a vote by 60 of the 100 senators to cut off debate and advance a bill. With the Senate divided 50-50, Democrats would need the support of 10 Republicans to move most bills.
And so gun violence in America is the winner of the week, with no end in sight.
What about you? Who (or what) do you think won the week?
This, That, and the Other 
WTF is going on?
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That is an excellent question, Jim.
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🤨😡
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🤦🏼♂️
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And your data does not include the last couple of days where it seems to me this is escalating at an alarming rate. It’s like masking–where do “their” rights override “our” rights? It is scary.
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It’s scary and getting scarier every day.
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You’ve got several steps on the way to applying gun control, and I think applying gun control is the very last of them.
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Sad but true. In a so-called developed country this is not acceptable 🤯🥺
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It certainly shouldn’t be.
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Btw I like this prompt!!!! I’ll participate 😊
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Great!
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A good choice.
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I wonder if applying the gun laws might be in order? (They aren’t pursued and often dropped. An invitation to criminal gun activity?)
Also, gun crime data on legal ownership killings, as opposed to, illegal possession, would help better if those numbers weren’t conflated. Gun crimes committed by law abiding citizens are few. Just an observation.
When talking about immigration, the same thing oddly happens. Legal and illegal are comingled statistically when it benefits a narrative.
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That’s a bit of a tautology, no?
Gun crimes committed by law abiding citizens are few. Just an observation.
Further, it’s not quite a tautology; because commission of a gun crime makes the person not law-abiding.
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🤣
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I’m not clear on how it’s funny, though, when someone like that kid crossed state line(s) on his way to Kenosha with a gun that wasn’t legal for him to have (and his mother brought him to Wisconsin for the purposes he had in mind). And police thought he was mighty fine.
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I laughed at your comment not the incident. I meant law abiding gun owners so part of the laugh was at myself. 😁
Gun infractions are seldom prosecuted and that’s not funny at all. Making new or more restrictive laws that only law abiding people will feel burdened [infringed] by, would not be funny either.
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I haven’t paid a lot of attention to the news in the last week; I’m not in tune with what is being proposed, right now. (I’ve been dealing with issues my mother is going through; new ones after I was already dealing with other ones, most of which affect me while she won’t cooperate.) I also don’t think anyone is going to do anything about anything with regard to our social contract or whatever we want to call it. It’s become clear that an equitable and sensible society is not what “we” want. A lot of us do, but we don’t have the majority (in some applications) or enough power/money (in others). On the other hand, if I recall correctly, making the background check ten days (instead of something like one) could be an improvement. As is, getting no result or response after one day reverts to whoever it is getting the gun with no real check (under the reasoning that having to wait is unfair).
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So sorry for your personal stresses.
My point is that there are criminals and law-abiding people. Gun crimes are predominately perpetrated with stolen or ill-gotten guns… yes, by criminals.
Since our ‘justice’ dept. picks and chooses the laws it ferociously prosecutes, and gun infractions (like immigration laws) aren’t applied with any consistency, there’s an open invitation to criminals not to fear them. The calls for more infringement on the law abiding gun owner is silly. Well, unless you want to eliminate the 2nd Amendment. Then that will not be tolerated.
I can’t be totally sure, but I’ve heard that the proposed laws would have made no difference in any of the current killings. There’s much, much, more going on than guns running around killing people. Spotlighting the deranged workplace killers and mentally ill fame seekers without cracking down on gangs and cartels has a clear political nature that doesn’t keep any of us safer and keeps people confused. It’s a rotten shame all around.
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And I am sure that to begin with all those mass shooters were law-abiding people. We’re ALL law-abiding until we’re not. Also the US are consistently cutting mental health facilities. So what’s your solution? How do you know someone’s going to become a mass shooter?
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You don’t know, Lolsy. And many problems don’t have one cause nor simple answers. The mental health angle is absolutely a part of the equation.
All things need consideration and our Constitution should be one of them.
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How’s the Constitution working for you, so far?
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Beautifully.
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Really? Hahahaha. You have GOT to be kidding me, lol
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They’re called Amendments for a reason. Now Amend them.
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Amendment process is wonderful. Do it. Wait… it takes a large majority to do that. You think you wave a magic wand or something?
Or, you can ignore the laws in place. Gee… what if everyone just ignored laws? Glad I own a gun. 😉
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PLUS, these mass shooters are not in gangs. If you are Law Abiding, why would be against gun control Laws in the first place?
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Well, some statistics are definitely including gang activity in the numbers. A ‘mass shooter’ is considered as someone who kills many people at a time. (I’m not sure what number is currently used.) Chicago has been losing people in the hundreds every month for years.
Gangs are the primary perpetrators. But, with less policing and few gun prosecutions, there’s criminal activity ramping up among ‘everyday hoodlums’.
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Also, how do you know something doesn’t work UNTIL you’ve tried it? SURELY, if you abide by the Law, and you want to help. You would try whatever you could?
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I don’t agree that trying just anything is ever a good method. Every solution needs careful scrutiny or we sometimes create new or worse situations having not anticipated the downside. There’s always a downside.
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https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/attorney-representing-man-who-purchased-gun-for-rittenhouse-withdraws-from-case
Posted at 5:04 PM, Feb 10, 2021 and last updated 6:49 PM, Feb 10, 2021
KENOSHA — A 19-year-old man charged after police say he bought a gun [for] Kyle Rittenhouse is now seeking a public defender, as his attorney withdrew from the case Wednesday.
Dominick Black was charged with two felony counts of intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a minor. If found guilty, he could spend up to 12 years behind bars.
…………………………
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https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-kyle-rittenhouse-dominick-black-kenosha-video-20201120-2ealspv6tbc6hjnf3ervd27bma-story.html
NOV 20, 2020
Kyle Rittenhouse predicted he would spend the rest of his life in prison after shooting three people … in Kenosha over the summer, a close friend told police hours after the gunfire.
Dominick Black, now 19, told investigators that Rittenhouse fled to the back room of a local business after Kenosha police rebuffed his attempt to turn himself in. ………
Kenosha County Court Commissioner Loren Keating found at a hearing Thursday that there was probable cause to go ahead with Black’s prosecution, rebuffing defense lawyers’ efforts to have the case thrown out. Black is due for an arraignment Jan. 13.
Rittenhouse was released from the Kenosha County jail Friday afternoon after his lawyers posted $2 million bail.
………………………………
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Was the guy who shot and killed nine people this past week a “law abiding citizen”?
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Nope.
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Did you know that BEFORE he shot and killed nine people?
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I don’t know where you’re going but I’ll play.
There’s no way of knowing. Some people are actually proposing that family and neighbors can decide if someone’s dangerous. (Red Flag Laws)
Can you find any possible objection to that overreach?
I can.
An incident can, and should, be examined but making it a template on which to create a policy is insane.
It would be most helpful if we all could share concerns and offer ideas. The charts that use vague language and mixed data aren’t helpful in the endeavor to solve or to lessen problems.
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The guns the San Jose shooter had were all obtained legally, based upon current gun laws. The U.S. has 4% of the world’s population and 42% of its firearms. There are mass shooting nearly every week in this country.
In May 2019, 50 New Zealanders were killed in a mass shooting. Six days later the country banned all automatic and semiautomatic firearms sales and there have been no more mass shootings since then.
Actions speak louder than words. Way louder than thoughts and prayers. It’s time to take action in this country.
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True. That is single focused but real dynamic.
There aren’t any mass shootings in China or North Korea (or so we are told). Seems getting rid and singly focusing on guns may have a downside?
It’s too frequent here, I agree, and exploring all the dynamics is essential.
I’m sure you know in a free society there are inherent greater risks? Even being insulted or offended is likely. So, my concern is on the dwelling on the tool, known as a gun, as apposed to deeply examining the people and conditions underlying the problem.
Guns won’t go away. There are too many and they serve a great importance.
So, examining other correlations is critical.
There are many!
New Zealand doesn’t have a 2nd Amendment… certainly an option as a place to go for those who are afraid of our society. 😉
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I’d be interested in your thoughts on this post: https://fivedotoh.com/2021/05/31/second-amendment-thoughts/
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I answered some of it at your post. Thanks!
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It’s difficult for a person who isn’t in the early years of a career to move to New Zealand (approved to become a permanent resident or a citizen), but I have a goal of reaching the requirements. I’m not very afraid, actually, that I will become a victim of gun violence (randomly). I have realized, however, that you’re sort of taking a terrible risk to ever call the police into a situation (as they show up and shoot people). Not long ago, I was sitting on my deck when someone was pulled over by the police. I decided to stay right there, as a witness, and hope nothing would go wrong for the driver (or even for me as someone nearby). I reflected on it being a little silly, maybe, to think something so terrible would happen in my area. Like two days later, I got a local news update about a case, in my area, wherein the police chief is being asked to step down because he covered up a murder. A few years ago, someone called the police because someone in the house seemed to be ready to hurt himself. In response to the call, officers showed up and shot at whoever was leaving the residences in a car; killed him.
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The new head of the EHRC in the UK, saying that women should be able to misgender trans people, without fear of losing their jobs. The UK Tory LGTBQIA disbanding after the members hated the transphobia with the Tory Party and then the head of the LGBTQIA Tory “party” attacking Stonewall.
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thats awful! I wish gun violence in america wasnt so prominent! Its just too damn easy to get a gun! And in the wrong hands its lethal!
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When I talk to people about my travels, some people ask me if I am not “afraid” to visit some areas, such as the Middle East. What I tell them is this: I am more afraid of living in the U.S. with the unregulated proliferation of guns and the lack of will by Congress to do anything about it. I am more likely to be killed here, in my own country, than in Egypt, Israel, or any other country I’ve been to or may visit in the future. Why? Look at the statistics – no country has a higher number of deaths from gun violence than the United States. We are WAY out ahead in surpassing all others!!
Thank you for delving into this issue and prompting a dialogue.
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Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes, the U.S. is way ahead in guns per capita and in gun deaths and mass shootings. It’s despicable that the best our lawmakers can offer are their thoughts and prayers for the victims of gun violence and their families.
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Those numbers are unacceptable and tragic. I still hold out hope SOMETHING might one day be done about it. It doesn’t seem likely though.
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