The Latest Area Gun Atrocity - Trying to Prevent the Next one from Occurring

One of the latest area gun atrocities occurred on Saturday, 30 March when two armed imbeciles opened fire on each other at Edgewood Towne Centre, a large and busy shopping area which I used to frequent when I lived in Squirrel Hill.  Never mind the fact that inocent people were present and caught in the crossfire.  The individual that takes a loaded weapon with him to shop does not care about collateral damage and destroying people's lives. 

If we do not get a grip on our love affair with guns, which so often leads not to self-defense, but to horror, the nation is certain to become an armed camp, a place where individuals will not be able to get near any public place without being patted down and subjected to metal detection.

One intermediate step which should be implemented regionally and targeted to areas which need it is "stop and frisk".  This method of crime prevention has been successfully utilized in New York City, and has helped to account for a low crime rate in what had been a city overrun with mayhem in the past.

The American Civil Libertites Union will claim that "stop and frisk" should not be implemented because it targets individuals based on race and ethnicity.  These are legitimate concerns, but concerns which cannot preclude the effort to protect the public.  We must face the fact that the largest component of gun crime is committed by African-Americans against African-Americans.  I am betting that shooting victims would be in favor of a safety initiative which might have precluded them from having senselessly endured misery and pain.

Police officers have a good idea of where crimes are committed and who is perpetrating them.  There must always be plenty of oversight to guard against police abuses which occur far too frequently, but they must be permitted to do their jobs, to prevent crime from occurring rather than reacting only after someone has been injured or killed.