I am sickened by the death of a 5 year old boy shot by a man in the street.
The boy was white. The man was black. There are posts all over Facebook accusing the media of failing to cover this child’s death with the same vehemence that they covered George Floyd’s death. Both deaths were tragedies. But it is a false equivalence and selective outrage.
George Floyd’s death was the most recent in a long series of specific deadly abuses of power by a police officer. Cannon Hinnant’s death was a random act of gun violence, like those that happen every damned day in America. If you really want to talk about his death, you’d better be ready to hear about the hundreds of children who killed themselves or another accidentally each year with an improperly secured gun. There have been at least 184 unintentional shootings by children in 2020, resulting in 75 deaths and 116 injuries.
Or the number of women killed by their abuser with the gun he was permitted to buy before the permanent restraining order went into affect, or in the private sale that didn’t even require a background check.
And if the man that shot little Cannon had a history of mental illness or was going through some period of instability, well, unfortunately here in N.H. his family would have no recourse to remove his guns until he was no longer a danger to himself or others, because Governor Sununu vetoed that legislation last week.
Suicide death by firearm has increased 30% this March thru May vs last year same period. (Pandemic-Related Gun Purchases Raise Suicide Risks - Scientific American ) Pardon me if I think your outrage seems a little too specific, but unless you are ready to talk about gun safety legislation as well as race, stay in your lane.
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