So many issues to address in addressing the violence problems. Love, while a sweet sentiment, is not going to fix anything. Praying is not going to fix anything. Only when the public as a whole says enough is enough and FORCES the leaders at the local, state and national levels to take substantive action will things change.
What things do we insist change? My thoughts.
Guns: More strenuous background checks with longer waiting periods for delivery. Close the gun show, private sales loopholes. Put the ban back on semi-automatic weapons. Add licensing and tracking requirements for ammunition purchases. Tax the crap out of those purchases and use the money to mitigate the damage and to educate. The government took the tobacco industry to task for the damage it causes, we need to consider doing the same with the firearm industry. Get the NRA out of government.
Policing: The move toward more miltary style police tactics needs to be addressed. Having access to high grade body armour and quality equipment is a plus and well deserved by police. However, the heavy use military grade vehicles and military style responses are not an appropriate community policing policies, if you have a military response mindset, who is the enemy? It is the citizens. That leads into the hiring of so many ex-military as police officers. I am all for making sure returning veterans are employed, I have strong reservations though to putting someone who is explicited trained to use all force necessary to stop a threat into positions of community policing.
Community: stand up and pich in.
Not so black and white. My son is Coast Guard Reserve, trained for Port Security, which usually is boarding vessels of interest entering into our ports. He was activated to go to Kuwait, since everything going to support the troops in Afghanistan has to go through that port. He has to qualify on a weapon every so often, and will carry when required to board vessels or to protect the base. He has no interest in having a gun otherwise. There is a rifle up in the attic which was purchased for target shooting, but it's been neglected for at least 15 years. He doesn't want to shoot a gun, other than maybe skeet shooting.
The politicians need to step up for more checks and bounds.