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Another anti-gun violence activist, PLHS alum Will Barton, spoke out from his artist\u2019s studio where he uses his mouth to paint emotional artwork offering glimpses into his reality and recovery 10 years after he was shot multiple times and left for dead in 2012.<\/p>\n
Given almost no chance for survival, the now 30-year-old Barton has since used the shooting as a force for good in creating art and spreading the message that survival, recovery, and hope are possible after life-changing physical injuries and emotional trauma.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to explicitly speak on how devastating gun violence is,\u201d said Barton. \u201cThere won\u2019t be a day, not even a minute, that I will live without the extreme injuries I sustained by those three hollow-tip bullets shredding through my head and body 10 years ago. In a split second, the future I had envisioned was taken from me forever. It\u2019s now time for a serious and permanent change to combat the horrid events we have seen as of late. I am hopeful for the future, But it\u2019s had an enormously devastating impact on me and my entire family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Barton: \u201cHigh-caliber automatic weapons are unnecessary in our society. I want to see more victim advocacy groups, more mental health resources, and measures for gun safety. I have rebuilt my life through art and the love of my family and friends. I implore those who are struggling: please find something or someone positive to cling to, search for help and build from there. There is always hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weighing in on the recent spate of national gun violence, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) voted to pass the Protecting Our Kids Act and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. The Protecting Our Kids Act builds on the House of Representatives\u2019 twice-passed legislation advancing universal background checks for all gun purchases, an action that is supported by nearly nine out of 10 Americans. That legislation has been blocked by Republicans in the Senate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s painful to recognize that the loss of countless innocent lives over decades led us here today,\u201d\u00a0said Peters.\u00a0\u201cPassing these bills\u00a0to prevent more gun violence reflects the will of the American people. Now, we will continue fighting to get additional life-saving legislation over the finish line. I will not rest until the job is done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Peters, \u201cThe House also passed the\u00a0Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act permitting law enforcement officers, family, and household members of a person who poses a threat to themselves or others to request that a federal court issue an extreme risk protection order to prohibit an individual from purchasing or possessing a firearm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill protects the right to lawfully possess a gun by requiring high standards of proof, an opportunity to be heard in court, the right to counsel, and penalties for those who file frivolous petitions. The legislation also encourages more states to adopt these red flag laws and requires law enforcement to be trained in the use of extreme risk protection orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two Point Loma residents, Jerry Lohla and Robert Tripp Jackson, reacted to the recent gun violence and mass shootings.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur national crisis with mass murders is too many insecure males collecting too many guns,\u201d said Lohla. \u201cEvery nation has to deal with mental health issues, but the only reason why the U.S.A. is an outlier in mass murder is the prevalence of guns. We should not be turning our schools into armed fortresses. Our teachers want to teach, not defend against assaults by men with guns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Lohla: \u201cThe AR-15 is an \u2018assault rifle.\u2019 It is for assaulting an enemy. Assault, by definition, is for offense, not for any gun owner who claims he needs an AR-15 (or several) to defend his home. He is simply insecure about his masculinity. His AR-15 shows he has \u2018performance\u2019 issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI participated in\u00a0a weapon’s safety\u00a0course when I was 12 years\u00a0old,\u201d noted Jackson. \u201cThe instructor asked the group, \u2018What is a gun used for?\u2019 Some said, \u2018to shoot targets and\/or\u00a0to hunt game.\u2019 The instructor said, \u2018No, a gun is used to kill.\u2019 That always\u00a0stood out for me. I believe everyone should take a gun safety course, not just answer a few questions on a quiz, as part of acquiring a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Jackson: \u201cWe need to find a way to stop ghost guns that can’t be traced and simply\u00a0ordered over the internet. We need extensive background\u00a0checks that include juvenile\u00a0records, and a deep dive into prior psych-related\u00a0treatments or hospitalizations.\u00a0Hold parents responsible to have their weapons and ammo locked up and away from minors or anyone else, which is in effect, but needs to be enforced.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsider school cops being armed and not teachers. But they need to be on campus during school hours, and there should be more than one for backup. Our Second Amendment right, established by our founding fathers, didn’t envision the type of weapons that are available today. Also, this isn’t the Wild West anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still don\u2019t feel safe,\u201d said Geller-Alford of Point Loma High. \u201cWe want to make sure that the people who do feel the need to express their Second Amendment rights and own a firearm have been background-checked, trained, and licensed to have one. There are a lot of extreme arguments on either end of this issue and I think banning all guns or arming teachers, are maybe not the solutions we want.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere needs to be so much more regulation uniformly. This state has the most gun-control laws by far. But that in no way reflects the rest of our country. We are trying to highlight youth voices in the fight for gun control in light of Robb Elementary and the shooting, which is the deadliest mass shooting since Sandy Hook,\u201d Geller-Alford said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous that we still have to fight for our safety for our place of learning. We\u2019re just trying to show our outrage at that. We\u2019re in our finals weeks \u2013 and we\u2019re still out here in the streets. It should be our whole City, our whole country, with us.\u201d<\/p>\n