Be the change you wish to see. Where the lawmakers and the legal system has failed remarkably, the change makers are standing up collectively to make a difference. Till the US debates and regulates its gun laws or fixes loopholes that control the gun possession, some have come up with novel ways to keep guns off the streets.
DA Melinda Katz, Queens County District Attorney in the City of New York, announced yet another endeavour to buy back guns and make an effort towards controlling gun violence. At a similar event held previously in November '21, the District Attorney and New York Police Department announced collecting 40 guns in Queens.
This year, the gun buy back event is scheduled for September 24, under which, the owners can, "surrender an operable gun to receive a $200 bank card and iPad." The official Twitter account of the District Attorney office also posted, "Turn in two or more weapons for an additional $250 gift card. No. Questions. Asked."
At the previous event DA Katz had spoken about the need to come together as a community to combat gun violence. "The gun violence that our communities have more recently been experiencing may sometimes seem insurmountable, but it is important that we come together as a community to reject that idea. Every gun that we get off the streets is a potential life saved and a potential tragedy averted."
Following in, Jenifer Rajkumar, NY State Assemblywoman, announced an event on the same lines on her official account. "I am sponsoring this event in my district next week to get the guns off our streets. Surrender an operable gun and you will receive a $200 bank card and iPad. No questions asked," she wrote referring to the gun buyback event.
The U.S, gun laws and statistics
The gun regulations vary greatly with each state in the US. Although a string of unfortunate events has made a stronger case for proponents of stricter gun regulations. In a country where, reportedly, there are an average of 88 guns per 100 people (as per a 2011 Small Arms Survey), public safety becomes questionable. As per the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence around 114,994 people are shot each year in the US. The figure includes murders, road rage incidents, assaults, accidents, domestic violence cases, suicide attempts and suicides.
