A plea from mother of Whitehall shooting victim
I get tired pleading for our society to address gun violence.
Lawmakers don’t have the courage to take even the most promising, simple steps. Some parents don’t want to get involved enough in their kids’ lives to steer them straight and keep guns out of their hands.
And for those not affected, it’s out of sight, out of mind.
More words from me aren’t going to change any of that. Maybe words from a grieving mother will.
“She didn’t deserve this ... We should love each other, not fight and kill each other. It just has to stop.”
That’s only some of what a frustrated and emotional Natalie Law said last week at a vigil for her daughter, Nicolette Law, one of two people gunned down in the parking lot of a Walmart in Whitehall Township.
She was 20.
It just has to stop.
The gunfire hasn’t stopped during the pandemic. It hasn’t lead the news as often, but it’s still happening. And that scourge can’t be forgotten just because there are other problems to deal with now.
Jonathan Martinez and Law, both of Allentown, were killed after an argument during a child-custody exchange on Feb. 26 ended in gunfire. Law was riding with Martinez as he picked up his child.
Martinez was 22. He clung to life for nine days before succumbing to his head wound on Sunday.
These pointless deaths can happen anytime, anywhere.
Three days earlier, in a suburban neighborhood in Bethlehem Township, a dispute between neighbors ended with bullets flying.
Kenneth Pickell, 31, was shot in the back as he turned away, according to authorities. He left behind a 5-year-old son.
“He was a loving son and a loving father,” the victim’s mother, Leanne Pickell, lamented the next day.
It just has to stop.
Five people were shot, one fatally, at a bowling alley in East Norriton, Montgomery County, on Feb. 20.
The 17-year-old gunman fired until his gun was empty. He continued firing at the man who eventually died even as he tried to crawl to safety, according to police.
There have been others, too. Thankfully, they weren’t fatal. A man was shot Saturday in Allentown. In the Poconos last month, a father and son were charged after shots were fired into a gas station/convenience store in Middle Smithfield Township. All missed their mark.
It just has to stop.
But how?
There is no magic that will end all of the carnage. There are opportunities to try, though, without infringing on Second Amendment rights.
Red-flag laws, also known as
extreme risk protection orders, allow household members and law enforcement to ask a court to temporarily take firearms from someone who has shown they are a danger to themselves or others. Gun owners would have the opportunity to challenge the order.
The idea had bipartisan support from Pennsylvania lawmakers in the previous legislative session. But Republican leaders refused to allow a vote. Legislation was reintroduced in January but hasn’t budged.
Tougher background checks would keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them. State legislation is pending to require all firearms purchased at gun shows and all ammunition purchases to be subject to background checks.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro is trying to stop felons from building their own “ghost guns,” by requiring people who buy unfinished gun frames to pass a background check. But that effort has been challenged in court.
That’s what’s frustrating. There is no reason to challenge Shapiro’s efforts. They should be supported, not opposed, by gun rights advocates.
All Shapiro wants to do is prevent felons and others who aren’t allowed to own a gun from building one by buying a frame and finishing it. That has zero impact on law-abiding gun owners. They could buy a truck full of frames if they want to.
Ghost guns are a bigger problem than many people realize.
Police in Philadelphia have confiscated more than 80 this year, after finding 99 last year, according to WHYY.
On Sunday, Shapiro announced the arrest of four men accused of participating in a scheme to buy gun frames at a gun show in Morgantown, Berks County, and then finish and sell them.
Three of the men are prohibited from possessing a firearm.
President Joe Biden has named gun violence as one of the issues he wants to address in his first 100 days.
On Feb. 14, the third anniversary of the Parkland school shooting that claimed 17 students and staff in Florida, Biden called on Congress to strengthen gun laws. He called for universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons.
With Biden having the backing of a Democratic Congress at least through the end of next year, this is an opportunity to get something done at the federal level.
Because it just has to stop.