There are few issues that polarize public opinion more than that of gun control.
Abortion, gay marriage and even climate change all take a distant back seat to the 2nd Amendment. As president of the Washington State Crime Prevention Association I recommend that citizens remove themselves from the rage-filled cauldron that defines the current gun control debate. Instead, we should strongly advocate for gun violence prevention education. In the area of gun violence prevention there is a great deal we can do to curb gun accidents and violence and prevent the next senseless death. And the numbers confirm the overwhelming need for this work. Note that since 1945 more Americans have died domestically from gun deaths than in all the combined wars and military actions in U.S. history. The numbers are about 1.4 million to 1.2 million and the gap continues to widen in favor of the domestic gun fatalities.
Consider some local regional news from recent weeks. In the King and Snohomish county areas there have been five recent shootings that have much in common.
Each incident involved a parking lot confrontation, the exchange of inflammatory language, insults and threats, physical intimidation and posturing, all culminating with gunfire.
From a crime prevention and best-practices perspective there are some sentinel gun violence prevention best practices that every gun owner and citizen need to be aware of. Here are five to remember:
1. Avoid parking lot confrontations of all kinds, especially with strangers. Never escalate, lose your temper or engage in parking lot confrontations. Immediately disengage and de-escalate the situation. Remember that almost one-half of violent crimes occur in parking lot areas.
2. Educate yourself on verbal de-escalation, “verbal judo,” or conflict resolution. Consider taking a class on verbal de-escalation. Developing your skills on assessing danger and having the ability to calm difficult situations may save lives and will provide you with life-long skills that increase both your and the safety of those around you.
3. Never, under any circumstances, engage socially with anyone who is both consuming alcohol and is armed. Guns and alcohol are the conjoined twins of disaster and tragedy. Consider the recent event in Dallas where a young man celebrating his 21st birthday by drinking and firing off celebratory gun shots accidentally shot himself to death. Simply remove yourself from any environment where guns and alcohol are present.
4. If you have a family member, friend or colleague who is depressed and has expressed thoughts of self-harm and they have ready access to a firearm, act. Talk to a professional, network with family and law enforcement, look at what can be done to remove an individuals ready access to a gun. Remember that the chances of a successful suicide increase almost exponentially if someone has immediate access to a gun.
5. Never, ever leave a loaded gun in the house. Purchase trigger locks for all firearms and or gun safes. This is absolutely critical if you have children in the house.
Jim Sawyer is president of the Edmonds-based Washington State Crime Prevention Association, www.wscpaonline.org.
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