In yet another disturbing case of gun violence that somehow has not made national news, an 11-year-old girl was killed by a 2 year-old in Philadelphia on Saturday. The children were left unsupervised with a gun in the room.
The children were playing in a bedroom when the toddler pointed the cocked handgun at his sister Jamara Stevens and pulled the trigger, hitting her in the arm around 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
The bullet traveled through the little girls chest and struck her heart, police said. She was taken to a hospital but unfortunately she was pronounced dead. The little boy was found with a burn and traces of gun powder on his arm.
Tiffany Goldwire was at home with her four children, ages 14, 11, 7 and 2, according to reports.
Police believe her boyfriend came over and brought the gun, which was left with the children in the room when she went to the bathroom.
So far no charges have been filed. But they should be. In fact the decision should not be whether this child's mother should face charges. But how many charges she should face.
I am almost tempted out of habit to site this story as an example of why America needs tougher gun control laws. But that would be ridiculous. I have always been perplexed, and confused by the fact that no one seems to state the obvious. The vast majority of all of the gun violence in America is not caused by people who have purchased guns legally. Especially those incidences that occur in urban areas. It is virtually impossible to find one gang member in Chicago who has a gun license. To talk about tougher gun control as and end to all of the gun violence in the United States is a terrific sound bite. But the concept is not based in reality. Unless we choose to ignore the senseless deaths of Black and Brown people in the inner cities. Many of whom are killed by weapons that were not purchased from a gun shop but from the basement of a bodega at 5 in the morning. The real tragedy always has and always will be the failure to acknowledge the truth.
PR
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