The problem is "gun-gang" violence

[Andrew Rothman]

This opinion piece appeared in today's Star Tribune.

Toward 'the perfect peace' with gangs
Joe Selvaggio
August 15, 2005

More than 4,000 African-Americans kill each other each year because of gun-gang violence. I was shocked to hear (from Hakim Hasan, a longtime inner-city activist from the Urban Institute at Metropolitan College of New York) that it took the KKK 80 years to kill that many blacks.

No wonder Tyrone Terrill, director of the Human Rights Department in St. Paul, in a letter to the black community published in May this year, called on his fellow African-Americans to take responsibility for the problem -- not to wait for the police, the media and mainstream society to try to solve it.

Even though Terrill has taken heat from some in his community for his strong call to get control, a clear majority has rallied behind him. Now it's time for the members of the broader community to get off our duffs and support anyone willing to take on this gun-gang violence.

more...

Huh. We had a pretty good "gun gang" at the range Sunday, and no one got hurt. We must be doing it wrong.

Or could it be that the problem is criminal gangs?

 

[Standing Wolf]

The leftist extremists never pass up an opportunity to take cheap shots at firearms and firearms owners.

To give credit where credit's due, I've to confess I've never encountered the term "gun-gang," with or without ludicrous hyphen.

 

[22-rimfire]

I don't know if this was an intentional cheap shot at firearm owners. I would almost have to read more of Joe Selvaggio's stuff. Not trying to defend him really. I think criminal activity by gangs with guns is better called TERRORISM and should be treated as such by Homeland Security. We should hunt them down and dispose of them just like the animals they are. Do it the PETA way.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Other than the strange term "gun-gang", I didn't see anything in the article even mentioning gun owners, gun dealers, or anything.

Personally, I'm happy to see people are taking the initiative in trying to solve social problems instead of waiting for the government to do it for them. I see nothing inherently leftist about taking some misguided street punk and giving him the opportunity to make something of himself. The choice, of course, is his, but the more people do that and the less that live on the streets committing crime for a living, the better off the country will be.

Right?

 

[CARRY'IN]

"it took the KKK eighty years to kill that many....

That would be a great public service commercial or billboard. Wish I had bucks- I would rent a billboard on the freeway in Oakland and put that on there. But it would just say gang violence, not gun-gang violence.

 

[Justin]

To give credit where credit's due, I've to confess I've never encountered the term "gun-gang," with or without ludicrous hyphen.

Probably because it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. It seems to kind of catch in the throat, back near the uvula.

 

[Henry Bowman]

back near the uvula

Enough dirty talk!

On topic... Does he mean to suggest that the issue is not the media darling "gun violence" but rather gang violence employing guns? Or does he mean "gun/gang" so as to imply either/or? Maybe the answer is in the "more..." of the article, which I did not bother to read.

 

[bill2]

maybe the correct term should be "drug gangs" who just happen to use guns in conducting their business.

 

[Eightball]

Or could it be that the problem is criminal gangs?

Egad! These wouldn't be the same criminals who evade the gun control laws so touted to make society safer? Oh, the thought of such <logical> things!
<Sarcasm off>

When will people learn that guns aren't the problem--it's the criminal aspect of it all ?

 

[GunGoBoom]

Huh. We had a pretty good "gun gang" at the range Sunday, and no one got hurt. We must be doing it wrong.

Or could it be that the problem is criminal gangs?

Exactly. What the H E double toothpick is a gun-gang, precisely?

 

[mete]

Thanks to the politicians' policy of open borders we have many gangs of illegals .For example in the MS-13 gang alone there are 10,000 members !!! They like to use the machete.And the politicians want to give all illegals citizenship.

 

[Ryder]

Terrill has taken heat from some in his community

He has a community, the gangs have a community, everyone (it seems) has a community except me.

The root word of community is commune. I remember hearing something about those. What was it now? Oh yeah, it's where you lose individual freedom. From what I can tell community is very much about eating people up one at a time and spitting them out in little pieces. Must be why I don't have no community. Funny thing, no stinking violence either.

Forming a bigger gang is no change in tactics for them. They should try a free society. I believe many individuals would take care of things in short order once the spectre of community dissipates.

 

[Mannlicher]

As long as they stay down in the 'hood, and off each other, I don't see a real problem.

 

[xdoctor]

Perhaps the Game and Fish should issue permits to harvest MS-13 members. We could thin out their herd and make the whole country a little safer.

I know there are going to be a lot of people that will take that WAY too seriously, but (explative deleted) em if they can't take a joke.