Hi,
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled the Second Amendment does protect an individual’s right to bear arms, striking down the Washington, D.C, ban on handguns. This is a historic decision that we have to wonder what kind of an impact it is going to have on the already over-the-top problems we have with gun violence in this country today.

The Associated Press reported, “Silent on central questions of gun control for two centuries, the Supreme Court found its voice Thursday in a decision affirming the right to have guns for self-defense in the home and addressing a constitutional riddle almost as old as the republic over what it means to say the people may keep and bear arms.” The Washington Post reports the “landmark 5 to 4 decision split along ideological grounds and wiped away years of lower court decisions that had held that the intent of the amendment, ratified more than 200 years ago, was to tie the right of gun possession to militia service.”

The New York Times reports in a front-page story that the court “rejected the view that the Second Amendment’s ‘right of the people to keep and bear arms’ applied to gun ownership only in connection with service in the ‘well regulated militia’ to which the amendment refers.”

This brings up the question and outrage that has broken out in this country as a result of the ruling; where do we draw the line to protect the safety of the citizens of this country while at the same time protecting ourselves as a country? With so many other methods of self protection available why does the Supreme Court Justice see the need to open the doors to more gun violence?

For self protection, technology has advanced tremendously allowing for many avenues of personal safety without having to carry a gun. For example, we have CCV camera’s to alert us to intruders, we have mace, we have technological advances, like laser guns, light ray guns to temporarily blind an intruder that are safer and less life threatening.

Additionally this puts the police at a greater risk of injury. With so many people carrying guns now, legally, those that work for enforcing the laws and serve to protect us are now in a battle zone people who could be under the influence of drugs and alcohol with legal personal handguns. Domestic violence is a huge problem with this handgun law in affect. Clearly this ruling has enormous ramifications for the safety of the public.

The second amendment states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The Supreme Court, in its ruling, says that means it’s every American’s right to keep a gun for self-defense.

But what will the consequences be and is this what it really means? I believe that more violence, more killings, more road rage, more police shootings, more families ripped apart by violence is going to the aftermath of this Supreme Court Decision. I for one, believe that the Forefathers of this nation, Authors of the words of the Constitution, wrote for a community that were still hunters and conquerors of a new land. They had no consciousness of the new nonlethal weapons and surveillance technology we have today. Perhaps our Present fathers, the Chief Justices are not up on the viable new technologies either. Hopefully our future fathers will have the fortitude to hold the hand gun regulation in check on a City by City basis or reduce the incidences of employee rage; symptomized by random shutting in the workplace; school shooting; children in the homes while parents are at work accidental shootings; jealous passion shootings by siblings, parents, spouses, partners. As a police walks up the driveway to help in a domestic violence scene, he has to wonder where the shot will come from more vigilantly than ever before.

How do you feel about this ruling? We want to know your thoughts on this historic ruling by the Supreme Court. As always, we are here for your safety and thought provoking comments.

Yovette Mumford,
Safetyissues.com

Hi,

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help you!” Instead of reassuring us of the many ways our government is helping to keep us safe from internal and external threats, these words strike fear in the hearts and minds of most Americans who are experiencing and/or reading about just how woefully unprepared our government agencies are to aid us. Our government officials need to tell us specifically what is being done to protect us by providing concrete details we can see, touch, and feel instead of giving us the same regurgitated rhetoric and hyperbole. Our safety isn’t about winning votes or saving face – it’s about saving lives. A good place to start is in the area of information sharing. Perhaps a course in risk communications should become a necessary requirement for all politicians.

All heads of protective agencies should be able to tell us who is responsible for the various aspects of our safety and how the funding formulas are devised, implemented, and carried out. Too often our safety is handled – or mishandled – disproportionately based on whether it is a republican or democratic issue. As Americans we don’t care who gets the credit or the blame; we want to feel safe and be safe, and know that funding decisions are responsibly being made based on sound policy thinking, and not on whether it’s a red or a blue state, or whether the political leadership is willing to “play ball” on some other unrelated issue.

Our government tells us we need to be prepared for catastrophes or terrorist attacks, but doesn’t provide clear and easily understandable instruction in what can or should be done. Organizational charts and policies aren’t enough if we don’t know what they are or what is involved, or who is responsible for carrying out the instructions. In order to get safely to its destination, an airplane needs a crew to pilot the plane, but it also requires air traffic controllers to help route it, as well as others to perform vital jobs ensuring a safe flight. Failing to perform just one vital step can prove to be catastrophic. Right now we have an airplane hurtling through the air at 350 miles per hour with no pilot or crew.

Someone needs to step up and give us information we can use that is accessible by the average citizen. Communicating risks to the citizens isn’t being adequately done because there is no budget item that specifically addresses this issue. Giving local communities the proper tools to adequately protect their citizens is a start. Providing adequate funding for advertising and safety drills would be better. A best case scenario would be mandatory pullout sections in every telephone directory in America that has an easily usable guide to personal safety, complete with guidelines, instructions, organizational charts, and telephone numbers. What good does it do to have a list of telephone numbers to call after the fact? That’s sort of like implementing a multi-billion dollar fire prevention program and expecting the national death rate from fires to go down based exclusively upon the availability of a toll free telephone number one can call in the event of a fire.

As citizens we have every right to know what our government is doing to protect us. We don’t have to know every detail of sensitive national security information. But there does need to be an equitable balance that at least provides us with understandable disaster plans and organizational charts. If we don’t know who’s running the show, how are we to know with any degree of certainty that anyone is in charge? And if no one is in charge and we are fending for ourselves, what exactly are we spending all this money on, anyway?

Your comments are welcome!

Since life has no reset button….tune into this blog and to our website daily. Safe Living, Yovette Mumford

Hi,

Since our government’s taxation system was founded upon the principles to collects taxes in order to finance public safety, welfare and services, it is imperative for us, as the primary taxpayers to become more aware of where our tax dollars go. There is a debate among our congressman about who is going to afford the rebuilding and inspection of our transportation systems. It a sad day when we can tally that more American were killed during this year due to our Homeland’s infrastructure failings than in defense of our homeland security or overseas wars.  In fiscal year 2006, over $2.7 trillion tax dollars was spent. This amount represents about one-fifth of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or slightly less than the historical average for the last 30 years. With the nation’s infrastructure continually making headlines due to loss of life as a result of some sort of failure or demise, tax policy decisions have become extremely crucial.

Dividing the national tax budget into fifths, three-fifths (61%) of federal expenditures went to three areas. These three areas are; Social Security, Defense/Security and the three government health insurance programs, Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program). Figure 1 below represents the overall percentages of where our tax dollars are currently being spent by our government officials.

To clarify additional percentages on the chart, the Safety Net Programs (9%) represents programs that provide aid (other than health insurance or Social Security benefits) to individuals and families facing hardship. Examples are unemployment and low-income housing support programs. Interest on debt (9%) is just that; interest on the nation’s federal debt. Everything else, which only comprises 21% of the tax dollars spent, is represented by Figure 2 below.

As you can see by the chart above, only 2% of our nation’s tax dollars are spent on Transportation & Infrastructure! It is quite alarming to look at the way our government officials are currently spending our tax dollars.

In light of the seemingly continual demise of our country’s infrastructure, it appears our government officials have forgotten what our tax system was founded for; to provide ways for citizen’s to earn money to make a living and support themselves and their families by building and maintaining useful and safe roads, utilities, water systems and transportation systems. It is imperative that our government officials are reminded of this before more lives are lost.

Since life has no reset button…tune into this blog and to our website daily. Safe living, Yovette Mumford