Teen who performed at inauguration shot dead in Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) - A 15-year-old girl who had performed in President Barack Obama's inauguration festivities is the latest face on the ever-increasing homicide toll in the president's hometown, killed in a Chicago park as she talked with friends by a gunman who apparently was not even aiming at her.
Chicago police said Hadiya Pendleton was in a park about a mile from Obama's home in a South Side neighborhood Tuesday afternoon when a man opened fire on the group. Hadiya was shot in the back as she tried to escape.
The city's 42nd slaying is part of Chicago's bloodiest January in more than a decade, following on the heels of 2012, which ended with more than 500 homicides for the first time since 2008. It also comes at a time when Obama, spurred by the Connecticut elementary school massacre in December, is actively pushing for tougher gun laws.
Hadiya's father, Nathaniel Pendleton, spoke Wednesday at a Chicago police news conference, which was held in the same park where his daughter died.
"He took the light of my life," Pendleton said. He then spoke directly to the killer: "Look at yourself, just know that you took a bright person, an innocent person, a nonviolent person." Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy consoled him, the girl's mother and 10-year-old brother.
Hadiya was a bright kid who was killed just as she was "wondering about which lofty goal she wanted to achieve," her godfather, Damon Stewart, told The Associated Press. Hadiya had been a majorette with the King College Prep band.
"She was a very active kid, doing dance, cheerleading, who felt like she could accomplish just about anything, a very good student who had big dreams about what she wanted to be, a doctor, an attorney," said Stewart, a Chicago police officer and attorney. "She was constantly getting good grades."
Obama was asked about Hadiya's death in an interview with Telemundo, which led to a discussion about gun control. Also Wednesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that the president and the first lady's "thoughts and prayers are with" the teen's family, adding: "And as the president has said, we will never be able to eradicate every act of evil in this country, but if we can save any one child's life, we have an obligation to try when it comes to the scourge of gun violence."
In Chicago, gangs routinely and often indiscriminately open fire. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and McCarthy are pushing for tougher local, state and national gun laws and longer prison sentences for offenders.
About three blocks from Hadiya's school, she and a group of 10-12 young people, including members of her volleyball team, had taken refuge under a canopy at a park to avoid the rain Tuesday afternoon. A man climbed a fence behind the park, ran at the group and started shooting, and then jumped back over the fence and into a white Nissan. The group scattered, but Hadiya was shot once in the back and a teenage boy was shot in the leg.
Police said Hadiya had no arrest record and there was no indication she was a member of a gang or was the gunman's target. In fact, McCarthy said there are no indications that anyone in the group was gang-affiliated. He said the police suspect that the gunman may be a member of a gang that considers the park its turf and that he mistook somebody in the group as someone from an encroaching rival gang.
McCarthy vowed to put a police officer at the park "24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year" if that is what it takes to show the gang that the park belongs to no one but the community.
Comments by both Stewart and the girl's father echo the message that city officials have long said: Gun violence is not confined to street corners in dangerous neighborhoods. Obama's neighborhood, Kenwood, is just north of the University of Chicago and the Museum of Science and Industry.
"Her parents had done everything right and she was doing everything right," he said. Stewart, who was 12 when his own brother was shot and killed, said his family and Pendleton's family were so close that his own children saw the 15-year-old as an older sister.
"The worst thing in the world was when yesterday I had to sit there and tell my children that their sister is gone," he said.
Chicago police said Hadiya Pendleton was in a park about a mile from Obama's home in a South Side neighborhood Tuesday afternoon when a man opened fire on the group. Hadiya was shot in the back as she tried to escape.
The city's 42nd slaying is part of Chicago's bloodiest January in more than a decade, following on the heels of 2012, which ended with more than 500 homicides for the first time since 2008. It also comes at a time when Obama, spurred by the Connecticut elementary school massacre in December, is actively pushing for tougher gun laws.
Hadiya's father, Nathaniel Pendleton, spoke Wednesday at a Chicago police news conference, which was held in the same park where his daughter died.
"He took the light of my life," Pendleton said. He then spoke directly to the killer: "Look at yourself, just know that you took a bright person, an innocent person, a nonviolent person." Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy consoled him, the girl's mother and 10-year-old brother.
Hadiya was a bright kid who was killed just as she was "wondering about which lofty goal she wanted to achieve," her godfather, Damon Stewart, told The Associated Press. Hadiya had been a majorette with the King College Prep band.
"She was a very active kid, doing dance, cheerleading, who felt like she could accomplish just about anything, a very good student who had big dreams about what she wanted to be, a doctor, an attorney," said Stewart, a Chicago police officer and attorney. "She was constantly getting good grades."
Obama was asked about Hadiya's death in an interview with Telemundo, which led to a discussion about gun control. Also Wednesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that the president and the first lady's "thoughts and prayers are with" the teen's family, adding: "And as the president has said, we will never be able to eradicate every act of evil in this country, but if we can save any one child's life, we have an obligation to try when it comes to the scourge of gun violence."
In Chicago, gangs routinely and often indiscriminately open fire. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and McCarthy are pushing for tougher local, state and national gun laws and longer prison sentences for offenders.
About three blocks from Hadiya's school, she and a group of 10-12 young people, including members of her volleyball team, had taken refuge under a canopy at a park to avoid the rain Tuesday afternoon. A man climbed a fence behind the park, ran at the group and started shooting, and then jumped back over the fence and into a white Nissan. The group scattered, but Hadiya was shot once in the back and a teenage boy was shot in the leg.
Police said Hadiya had no arrest record and there was no indication she was a member of a gang or was the gunman's target. In fact, McCarthy said there are no indications that anyone in the group was gang-affiliated. He said the police suspect that the gunman may be a member of a gang that considers the park its turf and that he mistook somebody in the group as someone from an encroaching rival gang.
McCarthy vowed to put a police officer at the park "24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year" if that is what it takes to show the gang that the park belongs to no one but the community.
Comments by both Stewart and the girl's father echo the message that city officials have long said: Gun violence is not confined to street corners in dangerous neighborhoods. Obama's neighborhood, Kenwood, is just north of the University of Chicago and the Museum of Science and Industry.
"Her parents had done everything right and she was doing everything right," he said. Stewart, who was 12 when his own brother was shot and killed, said his family and Pendleton's family were so close that his own children saw the 15-year-old as an older sister.
"The worst thing in the world was when yesterday I had to sit there and tell my children that their sister is gone," he said.
Maybe we'll luck out and a giant sinkhole will swallow the entire city.
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You'd think that the people would have had enough of this kind of crap and taken matter into their own hands by now, wiping out the gangs and crooks and corrupt police, politicians and bureaucrats.
What about the hammer argument? Â The killer could have accidentally hit her with a hammer while he was trying to get someone else. Â But no one is talking about banning hammers.... Â Or, maybe we only trot out the hammer argument when it isn't so blatantly stupid.
Reading through everyone of these comments on this story, it has become very clear to me: there are a lot of people who are very afraid over many things. -Afraid of our government, afraid of our neighbors, afraid of people we don;t know....Fear, fear, fear, fear. Its a miracle some of you even get out of bed: it must be terrifying experience.Â
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I don't think we have the right to call ourselves 'the home of the brave' when so many people are terrified of their own neighbor and the very government we DO have control over. And so many people forgetting how our government actually works: I understand its been quite some time since Elementary School, but man... Its scary how little people know about their own government, its checks and balances and what the branches of our government can and can not do.Â
@Keri Atkins  There aren't enough checks and balances. If there were the Government wouldn't have been allowed to set up "mock city's" at military bases here in the US for Training for Urban warfare. (the Cities look similar to many US Cities BTW). One of these mock cities alone, the one outside of San Diego is set on 274 acres and cost $172,000,000 to build and includes paid actors in a variety of roles to assist the military in their training. Seems to me like that money should been spent on health care of education (or other necessary human survival programs). This is one of seven of such mock Cities.  And Blackhawk Helicopters flying the night sky in Cities like Miami and shooting "blanks" over top of freeways and City streets for "training" exercises seems like terrorism, all funded by the US of A. Checks and balances? Where are they? These exercises plus FEMA camps should not be happening. If you don't believe these things are real take the time to look them up. And if anyone has any really good information about why we NEED any of this please share.
 @Keri Atkins We fear stupid people outnumbering the intelligent. We've reach the zenith already and it's all down hill from here. Stupid people with guns, stupid/uninformed low information people voting (ex. Obama et al. x2(3?), stupid people living off of government (close to the 50% mark), stupid people who fear and/or thumb their noses at the Constitution etc etc.
 @TimBurr  @Keri Atkins .. You do know the 50% number covers our fight men and women too, right? And your dear old granny who is 85 and can't see.... Â
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Yup. There is a lot of stupid. I agree.Â
 @TimBurr  Stupid people who think Obama can or will be elected for a third time...
 @badcat  @TimBurr "Marshall Dillon.....MARSHALL DILLON!!"
 @TimBurr  LOL -- "Marshall" Law, huh? Yeah, you obviously know what you're talking about. Thanks for the laugh.
 @badcat I put that in there for the potential Marshall Law scenario towards the end of the WH occupation.
According to NBC News Chicago,Hadiya was one of three shootng deaths on Tuesday.On January 16,a wife and mother of 3,was shot in the face and killed, while getting into her car in her Chicago driveway.She was shot for her purse during a robbery where a getaway driver will comb residential neighborhoods looking for women getting into their cars.A passenger (gunman) will get out,execute her,and run to the waiting car. They will be gone before frightened neighbors have time to open their curtains to see what happened.....It's a good thing Chicago's tough gun laws don't allow homeowners to carry weapons outside their homes,isn't it?
 @angry1 >'According to NBC News Chicago,Hadiya was one of three shootng deaths on Tuesday.'
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But, she was the only one who fit the PR trifecta. "child" (she was 14), "innocent" (honors student), and killed without cause (random act. IE-it's the guns fault)
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and, besides, she 'could be President Obamas daughter'.Â
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Facts and reality are irrelevent to the current 'gun control' agenda. The media is as complicit in the problem as they are in the agenda..... yet, I don't suspect they'd be half as passionate about restrictions placed on the 1st amendment.Â
@angry1 Had the laws been in place before, we would not have this problem.
look because Obama is a loser and the one that is causing issues, the teen didn't have to be "Slumped" unless this is to create another agenda..those who do not know the term "Slumped" should look it up. It is when some one with in the government assassinates there own or some one. In which there will be a fall guy and or no person will ever be found.
 @lee986321  Great theory Lee -- it's Obama's neighborhood so he must have killed her!! I can just see him jumping over that fence and taking down that group of kids. You should hold an inquest and demand to know his whereabouts on Tuesday afternoon!!! You're a genuis, Lee, and I just can't figure out why you're not on the Supreme Court. Give your kid a Diet Coke and come save the world already.
@lee986321 Thanks for taking this discussion to a new level of dumb.
@JTesla A new level not only stupid, but illiterate as well. Lee986321 can't spell, can't punctuate, can't create a full sentence. He asks us to look up a term, then proceeds to give a ridiculous and incoherent definition.
@JTesla I cannot stand Obama, but like you, I highly doubt he could live with himself ordering a killing on an innocent person, just to prove a point.
The coincidence's of all the gun violence since Sandy Hook occurring at the same time the POTUS wants new gun control is uncanny. Have to admit that. And of course this will bring all the conspiracy nut cases out of the closet! Ugh...
@Mechanic "dayand" Why do you insist on commenting on the spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in other's posts when nearly all of your own posts contain one or more errors?
 @JTesla  you are 100% correct, the money shouldn't have been spent at all. And if you are afraid and aren't willing to look any further for information I suspect you are one of many who would rather not have the information because then maybe you'd have to wonder what you need to do about it. Keep you head in the sand.
@PTLD CITIZEN I'm sorry, but I try to avoid nutty conspiracy theorists. I'm fear that some of their crazy will wear off on me. As for "Seems to me like that money should been spent on..." well, I don't think it should have been spent at all, so I'm not going to go looking for someplace else it should have gone.
 @JTesla  Maybe I fall into the catagory you mention. I'm looking for information about the following. Perhaps you can help.
Why has the Government set up "mock city's" at military bases here in the US for Training for Urban warfare. (the Cities look similar to many US Cities BTW). One of these mock cities alone, the one outside of San Diego is set on 274 acres and cost $172,000,000 to build and includes paid actors in a variety of roles to assist the military in their training. Seems to me like that money should been spent on health care of education (or other necessary human survival programs). This is one of seven of such mock Cities.  And Blackhawk Helicopters flying the night sky in Cities like Miami and shooting "blanks" over top of freeways and City streets for "training" exercises seems like terrorism, all funded by the US of A. These exercises plus FEMA camps should not be happening. If you don't believe these things are real take the time to look them up. And if anyone has any really good information about why we NEED any of this please share.
 @Mechanic  "dayand" is not a word but could be spaced properly to become two words and lend itself to a better sentence with more meaning if the reader actually cares enough about the content in the sentence.
@MrAchilles It is not a coincidence. (Coincidentally, you should not have used the apostrophe.) We routinely shoot and kill 30 people every dayand we have been doing that for years. Don't pretend that this is something new and that somehow, somewhere, conspirators are making nefarious plans to take away your guns.
Sad the leaders of Chicago are letting this happen and then using it as an excuse to try and take my rights away.
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Maybe try cracking down with an iron fist anyone using a gun in a crime automatic 10 years not matter what you did with the gun...
@FreedomRocks Well, you know, the good old NRA has been beating this drum for years. "Enforce the laws we have," they say. Then they turn around and block that very enforcement. They lobby those in Congress (giving large campaign contributions) who block all funding for enforcemtn. The tax idiots in the states have defunded law enforcement and other public services so that now there are no cops on the street. Republicans have refused to confirm a Director for the ATF four the last four years, and they have sued (and apparently won for the moment) to disallow the interim appointment that was made. The ATF is the principal law enforcement agency for gun prosecutions. Your post is total BS, from start to finsh. As for Chicago officials "letting this happen," that comment is beneath contempt.
 @Mechanic  @FreedomRocks Sorry I am not blaming the voters for turning down throwing more money at a local government that has badly mismanaged what they were already given.
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Nice liberal try though to put the blame on the people paying the bills rather then those wasting what we give them...
The solution is to take every known gang member That's been arrested for any crime not matter what it is and incarcerate them for a long stretch in prison instead of slapping them on the wrist and letting them go. This goes for all gangbangers, no matter what race they are.
 @Bdou Define 'gang'.
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Legally.Â
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Then, run your definition against the US Constitution and try it.Â
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Thought crimes are not crimes, nor are associations. Although, under the Patriot Act, that is frequently subject to Federal consideration and speculation.....Â
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Perhaps we could seek to get gangs Federally recognized as 'terrorist organizations'. Rendition would probably work better than prison, as they would be far less likely to meet up with their fellow bangers in Qutar or Saudi Arabia.Â
Just a point worth considering, Chicago IL has some of the most restrictive 'gun control' laws in the nation. Among the laws currently in place in Chicago, an assault weapon ban, firearm registration and a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card.Â
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Once again, such laws did NOTHING to 'save the innocent children'.Â
@MarkKpic and most of the guns used in crimes in Chicago are coming from states with little or no restriction or background checks.
 @Ramsesthegreat  @MarkKpic ...and you can prove this claim, right?
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While I don't necessarily disagree that there's a good chance that many of the guns in the state of IL, Cook Co and Chicago come from out of state, I would submit that you also need to look at both state crime statistics (specifically, how many guns are stolen out of private residences in the state, county and city), and the prevelence of guns 'on the street' prior to the enacting of the current 'gun control' laws.Â
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Another point to be made is that evidence suggests that it was a handgun, not to mention a single round, that killed Hadiya Pendleton. Neither of these factors would be abated by a federal ban on 'assault weapons', or a ban on 'high capacity magazines'.Â
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Since there has been no arrests in the shooting, we cannot know for certain. But, there's speculation that the shooting was a random shooting by a local gang member. As such, there is a good chance that more agressive enforcement and toughening of existing gun laws could have saved her.Â
Only if the new gun "control" laws were in effect a little sooner, her life could have been saved.............I'm selling bridges. Want to buy one?
@TimBurr Does it come with oceanfront property? If yes, I'm all in! LOL
That's IMPOSSIBLE because Chicago is a gun-free city. How could Rahm and Obama and the CPD let this happen? There needs to be a full investigation and lawsuit against the governor and the mayor of Chicago for disarming the public and then failing to protect them. Turn the screws.I'm sure it was one of those hairy-bellied redneck white-trash Wal-Mart shopper the anti-gun lobby characterizes us all as who did this. They should outlaw guns and gangs in Chicago.Â
They are eliminating guns one large metropolitan city at a time, Chicago & DC, with the new laws in New York State; NYC will be next, then L.A. The Feds don't need to pass a federal law; they are allowing the states and cities to do it for them.
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Black on Black gun violence. In Chicago. Black Mayor. The reverends (black). And a black President that hails from there. And none of them can stop any of this??????
 @Rob C 503 It's the crazy white people with AR-15s, Rob. C'mon.
@Playanekes @Rob C 503 You forgot the gun-loving, Nazi prepper part, Playanekes
"police suspect that the gunman may be a member of a gang that considers the park its turf and that he mistook somebody in the group as someone from an encroaching rival gang".
Gangs in Chicago??? Say it isn't so.....
"In Chicago, gangs routinely and often indiscriminately open fire. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and McCarthy are pushing for tougher local, state and national gun laws and longer prison sentences for offenders."
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How stupid is this statement?
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He Rahm, MURDER IS ALREADY ILLEGAL. Are you really that stupid to think that more gun laws will stop a person intent on killing someone?
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You may be able to fool those with lower intelligence, i.e. you base of voters, but those of us who have both feet planted in reality know that you are just using this death for your own agenda of removing guns from the hands of law abiding citizens.
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Stock up folks. The liberals want to take your guns away and will use every opportunity including this girls death to promote their agenda. Dead kids from shootings are the delight of the liberals who can't wait for another gun murder of another kid. I think they actually hope that an innocent person like this girl is killed so that they can promote their agenda. Think about how long it took for them to start in on restricting guns to law abiding citizens.
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Notice that this was gang related and they don't even mention dealing with that.
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@RalphCramden I'm not going to say anything else except that your statement "Dead kids from shootings are the delight of the liberals who can't wait for another gun murder of another kid. I think they actually hope that an innocent person like this girl is killed so that they can promote their agenda" is an absolutely insensitive and horrible thing to say.
 @sisabdpdx Â
Insensitive or not it is an accurate comment.
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Also the word insensitive is so passe' just like racist, homophobe, mean spirited, all of which mean nothing anymore due to overuse and improper use.
@RalphCramden It is NOT an accurate comment....dead kids from shootings are not "the delight" as you put it, of anyone.  Except for maybe the insane person that did the shooting.Â
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And I really don't care if you don't approve of the word I chose to use.Â
Rest in peace Hadiya Pendleton. Such a beautiful girl, and a terrible loss. I'm ashamed in myself that I got caught up in reading the political discussion and forgot to comment on what the story was actually about.
@RalphCramden
Meanwhile, Ginny Burdick's new legislation seeks to declare a state of emergency because two white people were shot in a mall in Clackamas. Declaring emergency gives the state government enormous power.  At the same time, however, the Democrat in Charge has decided to have his way with the will of voters when it comes to capital punishment. So basically, what we're seeing here is clear evidence of the Democrat Party (not all liberals) seizing as much power as they can and doing whatever they want.Have you seen this yet, Ralph?
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http://www.leg.state.or.us/burdick/newsletters/newsletters_2013/newsletter_011613.html
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"This 2013 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2013 Act takes effect on its passage."
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That allows them to deploy troops and declare martial law, does it not? There is no expiration on the state of emergency. Â
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There is no provision for BB guns, airsoft, paintball.  Burdick is trying make it a crime for children to have access to guns. FFS, Corbett High School had a 4H shooter qualify for the Olympics.
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 @Playanekes  @RalphCramden >'Ginny Burdick's new legislation seeks to declare a state of emergency '
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Suddenly, I feel a bit prophetic. When that ballot measure came across last time around, I expressed some serious reservations about the ambiguity of the prerequisites for such a declaration.Â
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It's stunning to me sometimes what happens when people refuse to take the time to consider 'routine' ballot measures, and instead just check 'yes' under the heading of "well, it's too complicated... and the legislature put it there, so it MUST be necessary, right?"
 @RalphCramden  @MarkKpic  @Playanekes Fair enough. Just remember Carter. We even recovered after him.Â
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If history is any example, President Obama will give way to a GOP president who can then spend his first 4 years desperately trying to undo the messes his predicessor made.Â
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With Hillary being the presumptive DNC candidate, they've already got one foot in the political grave before the campaign even begins. Couple that with some charismatic up and comers in the GOP bullpen, and the current control that the GOP has in the House... Yeah, we're taking on water but I think we can still refloat.Â
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...of course, 'if history is any example' could also tell us that the longest democratic republics in history have only lasted about 350 years before infighting and taxation and cults of personality doomed them.Â
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but, I try to be positive.Â
 @MarkKpic  @PlayanekesÂ
I am thinking we have already struck the berg and deck is awash. Government is trying to tell us we are fine and there is no reason to panic.
 @RalphCramden  @Playanekes I haven't completely given up hope. Larger ships have been turned at the last minute to avoid disaster....
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Of course, there's always the Titanic example too.Â
 @MarkKpic  @PlayanekesÂ
Life for us is going to get pretty ugly. Those of us who know it and are preparing will get to find out how many are not prepared. My guess is that we are the minority by a long shot.
 @RalphCramden  @MarkKpic  @Playanekes >'The average voter is very ignorant.'
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To borrow a quote from a movie;
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"Â A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."
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Couple that with the reality that most people go on 'gut instinct' rather than researching ballot measures and candidates, and I'm hard pressed to not agree with your summation >"We really are doomed."
 @MarkKpic  @PlayanekesÂ
Stupid voters makes for stupid laws which will end up restricting out freedom.
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We really are doomed. The average voter is very ignorant.
 @RalphCramden NO, Ralpie, dead kids are NOT the delight of liberals and never were. And if you think sending kids to the parks armed is an answer you are nuts.  Gun control has not suggested taking all guns away.  Once more - it has to do with A. background checks.  B. Limiting some of the market choices.  Now one thing that might be interesting to see would be youth centers, more alternatives for kids than joining gangs.  BUT this costs money and conservatives consistently want to make cuts to any program that might benefit the marginalized and poor.  So we make choices.  I have spoken to a lot of young people who say music, some form of creative outlet, helps to avoid getting into trouble.  I know teachers who say the same.  But it comes down to money - where do we put it - tougher laws?  More crowded jails?  Or social programs.  It isn't all about LIbs and Dead kids and you do a lot of injustice with those remarks.  I have heard you write much more intelligent responses.  Â
 @BCH momÂ
Then why did they jump on the gun laws thing so fast? It appears that they were ready for the next innocent kid to die so they could make guns an issue.
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Being that this is Chicago they have to grab every opportunity to capitalize on innocent deaths cause most are gang related and no big deal for most folks.
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I stand by my statement.
 @BCH mom  @RalphCramden There's a couple of problems with your line of thinking. Not the least of which is that in Chicago and Cook Co, your proposals are already law and did NOTHING to 'save innocent children'.Â
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>'A. background checks'. Â Â Â While your proposal is seemingly simple, there is a whole range of complexities involved. Not the least of which is federal law that requires that mental health records are not public property. (HIPPA). Secondly, are these background checks to be paid for by the gun purchasers, the gun sellers or the taxpayer? Finally, who is going to be given legal authority to go through any applicants private records? While it may be easy to say, the details of such proposals are pretty complex. (for the record, I do support manditory background checks and legal response to unqualified or fraudulent applicants. But, again, the details are pretty tricky once you wade into the substance of such a proposal)
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>'B. Limiting some of the market choices.' Â Â Â This is the one that is currently getting the most resistance for good reason. Right now, President Obama and fellow thinkers are proposing bans on 'assault weapons' and 'large capacity magazines'. The stated logic is the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Statistically, there are more children (persons under the age of 18) killed each year with handguns than 'assault weapons'. So, lets say that current proposals are made into law. Who's to say that a year or two down the road, after the next massacre that involves handguns or shotguns, that the next lynch mob wont come after them next? As much as I hate the 'slippery slope' argument, there is reason to consider that line of thinking with such proposals.Â
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Furthermore, there are at least a couple of studies that both state that the 'assault weapon' ban in 1994 did nothing to curb gun violence. As a matter of fact, the Columbine shootings happened while that ban was in place.Â
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The problem is not, nor has it ever been, guns. I know it's currently popular to follow that line of thinking. But, if you take some time and research instead of react, think instead of just theorizing, you would probably come to some different conclusions.Â
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 @BCH mom  @RalphCramden "NO, Ralpie, dead kids are NOT the delight of liberals and never were"Stephen King wrote Rage, Carrie, Christine, Stand By Me, and then a visceral screed about how OTHER people ought to clean the "brains and chunks of intestines" after the next school shootings. He's still collecting royalties for stories about disaffected teens and/or their supernatural cars destroying the jocks, teachers, cops, bullies, and adults as gruesomely as Stephen King and his readers can possibly imagine. How about a story where a guy is tied to a bed and dismembered if he doesn't the story correctly?I have a super-liberal friend telling everybody on Facebook how much she loves his writing. What about the passage where the little girl is gang-banged in the sewer to stop flying spaghetti monster or whatever the hell that was supposed to be at the end of the book?This girl got shot in a gun-free city under the responsibility of the mayor and the governor but somehow it's being used to blame guns and innocent gun owners in OTHER states.It doesn't matter. The propaganda of surrounding yourself with kids while you demand anti-gun legislation is the delight of anti-gun liberals because they LOVED IT.
 @Playanekes  I'm not sure what your rant against Stephen King had to do with this story, but you've obviously not read any of the books you mention.
 @BCH mom  @RalphCramden No offense BCH mom but how do you "hear" someone writing an intelligent response? Was his pencil making a squeaky noise? .. all kidding aside.... With Barack Obama's former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at the helm, Chicago's crime statistics are not improving. In fact, last year over 500 people in Chicago died as the result of gun violence. Just how many of those murders do you think the shooter(s) had a registered gun and a permit? I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the majority of the perpetrators were and are not "law abiding" citizens. Just food for thought!
Geaux..............I feel confident in saying that the gangs of CHicago are not registering their guns, carrying permits, going through back ground checks and doing all the things that law abiding citizens would do. Thats just not their style !!!!