"Often out of periods of losing come the greatest strivings toward a new winning streak."
- Fred Rodgers.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Los Angeles California. Their decision to overturn the age requirements pertaining to buying and owning semi-automatic rifles in California is an enormous win for firearms advocacies. In 2019, California Senate Bill 61 took away the hunting license exception for the purchase of semi-automatic rifles in the 18 to 21 age group. Bill 61 was in response to the Poway Synagogue shooting, when at the time the perpetrator, John Timothy Earnest, was 19 years of age. Because Earnest used an AR-15, approximately 10% of the population in California lost their constitutional rights. California already is misconstruing the constitutionality in calling for a hunting license exception. This is par for the course in Cali - restrict firearms based on age, never mind that these same persons can vote and often are the majority of our military populations.
The right to vote has long been an American rite of passage. Becoming an adult, the ability to serve in our military, responsibility of self-according to law, all at 18 years of age. However, the irony of the 21st Amendment and its consequences, 21 years of age became the Federal status quo. Minimum legal drinking age, minimum legal handgun age restrictions, et cetera. Now in the 21st century, we're supposed to believe that children and adolescents are under the age of 21, that is according to gun control advocates anyway.
The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention recently released their Mortality "data," claiming more than 45,000 firearms related deaths in the United States in 2020. Furthermore, the CDC statistics are claiming firearms accounted for more deaths of children and adolescents in 2020 than any other cause, aged 0-19. Motor vehicle deaths having been the major determinant for decades. Besides the fact that statistical data varies given input parameters, the CDC is only accounting for accidents in cars. No accounting for bicycle accidents nor other vehicles causing fatalities. Even the extremists at The Gun Violence Archive reported 2,000 less firearm deaths at 43,670. Additionally, the GVA actually calls adolescents aged 12-17 and children 0-11, firearm fatality amounts 1,083 and 301 respectively. The CDC is claiming 1,376 fatalities, GVA at 1,384 and the FBI Uniform Crime Reports is 963. Any and all deaths are horribly tragic, the convoluted statistical data is superfluous and misleading.
Keep in mind that two thirds of firearm fatalities are sadly suicides. So, at 45,000 there's a total amount of 29,700 self-inflicted deaths. Something similar could be related to the approximate 40,000 motor vehicle deaths, where drugs or alcohol, cellphones and speeding is considered. Similarly, again with drug overdoses, where over 100 deaths occur DAILY. And subsequently the majority of people overdosed on pharmaceuticals, amounting to close to 30,000 annually. Another form of self-inflicted deaths is alcohol related at approximately 100,000 annually. As usual these statistics are utterly and completely ignored by the billion dollar "gun safety" corporations, including universities and media, and with organizations like the CDC and NEJM. Last time I checked 40,000 and upwards to 200,000 was much, much greater than 16,000, yet firearms are an epidemic.
In all 50 states, the District of Columbia and American territories there are at least one million gang affiliated members. That number is according to the Department of Justice. Let's utilize the CDC methodology to factor the amount of gang members being children and adolescents to garner a total of 250,000 conservatively. How many of these children are killed annually, and how would that affect the firearm fatality statistics? According to the Journal of Adolescent Health there were 1,059,000 youth gang members in 2010, far greater than the DOJ will admit. So much greater that it could imply that the DOJ doesn't even account for youth membership. How many of 675,000 +- children gangster deaths annually? Quite considerably more because their homicide rates are at least 100% greater according to the Journal of Adolescent Health. One hundred percent greater risk of homicides at numbers totaling one million, there is no wonder that firearm fatalities of children and adolescents have increased. The problem is the mainstream implication being firearms are at fault and none whatsoever is the individual or society to blame.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."
- Jim Henson
Age Appropriate