Blog #5 - The Citizen

The topic of controlling crime cannot be fully discussed without the topic of the “everyday” citizen being delved into. Guns, death penalty, and funding are all well and good when it comes to controlling crime, but all these “good” actions begin with the people. The support or refusal of the people determines what proposals, programs, etc. get put into action. We, the people, have already noticed and complained about the crime problem. Yet, it seems we are relying on the politicians to fix the crime problem for us. Obviously, relying on politicians has not helped our crime problem.  Thus, it is my belief that we as a people begin to take a real interest in our surroundings and economy. We cannot rely on other people to clean-up our streets if we ourselves do not care enough to help in our own neighborhoods. The rest of this post is devoted to techniques that all of us can put into practice to help control the crime in our neighborhoods.

Let us begin with the individual. The most basic premise that I want to stress to everyone is that, no one else is going to do your work for you. If you want to make changes, start with yourself. Take one step at a time. Whether you live in in a multi-million dollar neighborhood or in the ghetto, a person should know how to protect themself. One of the basic ways to protect yourself is to know a few simple defense moves. Anyone, anywhere can be attacked; so it is better to be prepared than to become a statistic. You can take self-defense, kick-boxing, or other types of “protective” classes at a local community center. I even know of an apartment complex that offers free kick-boxing lessons on the grounds. Also, sometimes dojos offer one day classes on self-defense. If you take the time to look around you will be surprised at how many inexpensive ways there are for you to learn how to defend yourself. I am not saying that you need to get multiple black belts (though I am sure that would help) and spend money that you do not necessarily have. But, with a few simple defense moves you can delay your attacker long enough to run away and get help. Remember, you as a person are more important than a reputation as a “kick-ass fighter” or than your pride. There is no shame in running away from a bad situation. With a quick search on www.youtube.com, which is free to the public, I found a multitude of self-defense videos. While not all of them are good, there are a few legitimate videos out there that can give anyone a couple pointers. I have embedded what I believe to be one of those legitimate videos.

         

           The next aspect to talk about is house and property. We cannot prevent all burglaries from happening, but we can extremely impede them. Burglaries can happen to anyone and anywhere. It is common knowledge in the law enforcement community that most crime is opportunistic in nature. Thus, if we lower the ease and number of opportunities of crimes presented to criminals, it stands to reason that we can lower certain types of crimes, specifically burglaries of our homes. From my own personal experiences, what my parents taught me growing up, and internet research (please click on my sources at the bottom of this post to learn more), the following is a list of ways to help impede burglaries. The list is longer than want is listed here, and the effects of the suggestions will vary depending where you live.

·         Make sure you have strong locks on all doors and windows

·         Do not leave windows or doors unlocked/opened when you leave for vacation

·         Put a piece of wood in the tracks of your doors and windows so that they cannot be forced opened

·         Keep your grass cut and your property up-kept so that it shows everyone that you care and are watchful of your property

·         Keep your hedges low so you can see your yard and prevent people from hiding

·         When you go on vacation, get someone to cut your grass, pick-up newspapers and mail, and watch the house for you so that your house does not look empty

·         Set-up automatic timers on lights and radio so that your house looks lived in at night

·         Install automatic lights around your house, which makes it harder for someone to sneak up during the night

·         Do not hide house keys in “obvious” places, think about leaving a key with a trusted neighbor

·         Do not leave valuables where they can be seen, such as in front of a window or in the car where a criminal could easily break in and grab your valuables

·         Do not put your home address on your luggage tags (put your work address) as this tells criminals which house is empty

·         Have an alarm system installed in your house. You should not rely on the alarm system, but they can be a big help.

·         If you are a home owner, take gun safety classes, and feel comfortable protecting yourself, your family, and possessions with a gun

·         Have a place in the house where you can go to quickly arm yourself.

The last aspect that I would like to touch on is the neighborhood. After you have equipped yourself, and fortified your house and property, it is time to get to know your neighbors and begin to work together. Granted, not all neighborhoods will work together, as some people in your neighborhood may need to be avoided, but if at all possible you should work with your neighbors to create a safer environment with and for everyone. The more people there are committed to watching out for others, presumably, there will be less crime. Additionally, your neighborhood can join a Neighborhood Watch, www.i-neighbors.org, which links the neighborhood together. With a Neighborhood Watch, everyone can be kept up-to-date on neighborhood crime meetings, ideas to protect the home, etc. Among the many, a Neighborhood Watch is just one more idea to keep everyone safer

            In conclusion, there are many ways to help create a safer environment for ourselves. Think about the possibilities and outcomes if most of the neighborhoods in the United States decided to implement just a few of the above ideas. It could prove to be extremely beneficial in the fight against crimes. I stress again, nobody is going to fix our neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, economy, society, or country for us. We need to get up and take life by the horns and show our leaders we are serious about bettering our country at every level. WE CAN DO IT!

Accessed: April 28, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2gYVG8_sxY

Accessed: April 28, 2011.

http://www.selfdefensepsa.com/10_ways_to_crime-proof_your_home.pdf

Updated: September 5, 2009. Accessed: April 28, 2011.

http://www.duhaime.org/CrimeandSafety/LawArticle-52/Crime-Proofing-Your-Home.aspx

Accessed: April 28, 2011.

http://www.i-neighbors.org/index.php?gclid=CK-_0qTuv6gCFRFOgwodN2MFrw

Blog #4 - Guns

As the title of this blog, states, this post is about guns. As many of the other topics on this blog, guns are a topic that is usually controversial. The 2^nd Amendment and gun control seem to spark heated debate unless spoken among sympathizers of the same position. My personal opinion, which will undoubtedly come out in my writing, is that I consider the 2^nd Amendment – a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed – a right for every law-abiding citizen. I also believe in some forms of gun control. It is a common sentiment that you can be pro 2^nd Amendment and pro gun control, but I beg to differ. The following paragraphs will present a few facts, but mostly arguments for and against guns.

            The New York Times wrote, “The Supreme Court in 2008 embraced the view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own a gun for personal use, ruling 5 to 4 that there is a constitutional right to keep a loaded handgun at home for self-defense…On June 28, 2010, the court ruled in another 5-4 decision that the Second Amendment restrains government's ability to significantly limit ‘the right to keep and bear arms.’ Writing for the court, Justice Samuel Alito said that the Second Amendment right ‘applies equally to the federal government and the states.’” At this point in time, it seems that our nation is more “pro 2^nd Amendment” than “pro gun control.” The National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) states that as of 2009, the number of privately owned guns rises about 4.5 million a year.

Even with the Court’s decisions and other legislation that has been passed, there are many arguments against guns. Some of the more common arguments are that guns kill people, many children are killed by accidentally getting ahold of their parent’s gun, and that guns are dangerous. First, guns do not kill people. Yes, the bullet that ends a person’s life may be shot out of a gun, but guns do not shoot to kill – a person must aim the gun and pull the trigger. Second, any person can pick up a gun and accidentally shoot themselves. It is more tragic that a child does it, but a person is a person. The fact that a child has access to a gun should lead to a pointing of the finger at the adult who left that gun out in the open than a pointing of a finger to an inanimate object. The NRA-ILA states, “The firearm accident death rate is at an all-time annual low, 0.2 per 100,000 [people], down 94% since the all-time high in 1904. Since 1930, the annual number of such deaths has decreased 80%, to an all-time low, while the U.S. population has more than doubled and the number of firearms has quintupled. Among children, such deaths have decreased 90% since 1975. Today, the odds are more than a million to one, against a child in the U.S. dying in a firearm accident.” Thirdly, any object that can kill is “dangerous.” If a person takes the time to learn how to handle a gun safely and develops a respect for the power a gun contains, that gun becomes a tool to protect oneself and not an object to fear.

            Another idea we should keep in mind, is that as good of an intention gun control laws may have, there is a huge flaw in their rationale – laws are for law-abiding citizens, not criminals. A country could pass every gun control law possible and completely restrict its citizens, but the criminals will not obey the laws. As criminals, by definition, they do not care about laws passed to stop the usage of certain guns. The following video may offend some people, but I ask that everyone watch it with an open mind. (Please keep in mind that this video is a parody – I am no responsible for any other videos this author posts or their personal views)

            Even though I am pro 2^nd Amendment, I am still in support of certain aspects of gun control laws. I am in favor of the background check citizens need to go through before they can be eligible to own a personal firearm. I am in favor of registering firearms, so in the case that they are stolen we can identify the gun when it is found. However, I do not believe registering your firearm should be mandatory or government regulated/controlled. If an owner would like to register their gun to monitor their own property, they would be free to do so. Ideas I would like to see implemented are the following: a gun safety class should be mandatory before a person is eligible to purchase a firearm, this gun safety class should also have to be renewed at least once a year, a class on teaching someone to shoot should also be mandatory, this shooting class should also be renewed at least once a year, and starting at an early age gun safety should be taught to young children. There are many nuances with gun control laws that need to be examined, so that safety and a citizen’s rights can go hand-in-hand without one or their other being put on the back burner.

Guns are an important variable when it comes to the topic of the control of crime. Police officers, federal officers, and other government agencies use guns in defense of United States citizens. Criminals also use guns against other criminals and to intimidate the citizens they are taking advantage of. The media gives powerful presentations of gun. Watching the news or listening to the radio spreads the news of a gun-related death, mugging, assault, etc. which tends to paint a negative view of guns. Films show action and violence with guns all around, whether the bad guy is about to kill the good guy with a gun or the good guy wrestles the gun away at the last minute and is able to kill the bad guy.  It seems that whoever has the gun is the victor, and while that may not always be true, it is an important idea. This idea leads me to my ending statement; the statement that I want my audience to remember, even if they do not remember anything else of what I have written here. Just like if the good guy has the gun or the bad guy has the gun - guns do not make the decision to the pull the trigger, people do.

Published: March 6, 2011. Accessed: April 14, 2011.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am2

Published: January 14, 2011. Accessed: April 14, 2011.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/gun_control/index.html

Accessed: April 14, 2011.

http://www.nraila.org/issues/factsheets/read.aspx?id=120