Putting a face to gun violence--Ryanne Mace

I know you like to say we are "dancing on the graves of the victims" when we try to put a face to gun violence, but I have a serious problem thinking that Ryanne would be upset by using her memory to make a point on this issue. I am pretty sure her parents wouldn't mind since they are active in the movement (her mother, Mary Kay, previewed this and suggested some edits to this post).

Ryanne was one of five students who were killed 6 years ago at Northern Illinois University. I know that she was only one of the victims, but she shows how the event impacted her family and her friends. It also effected the entire NIU community.   I'll add that Ryanne was an only child.

But this video tribute from Tom Frey is one that really sticks in my mind.  Not only is it a tribute to Ryanne, but it is the memory of someone who knew her.  It shows the effect that gun violence has on people:

This is another of the many tributes to Ryanne that I found while trying to find the one by Tom:



This is Ryanne's mother talking about her being active in the Gun violence prevention movement:


A toast to Ryanne Mace, a lovely young woman who was taken from this world far too early. Your memory is contributing to making the world a better place. Who knows how much better the world would be if you were still alive.

Washington's Governor Jay Inslee Suspends Death Penalty, Saying There Are ‘Too Many Doubts’

Addictive Info

On Tuesday, Washington’s Governor Jay Inslee announced there would be no more executions on his watch. Citing the most critical reason possible for taking this step, he said:

There have been too many doubts raised about capital punishment. There are too many flaws in the system. And when the ultimate decision is death, there is too much at stake to accept an imperfect system.

Inslee hopes to become part of the national conversation.

Inslee hopes the moratorium will give Washington a chance to join a growing conversation. The use of an irreversible punishment which has sometimes been applied to the innocent is being seriously questioned nationwide.  He is the third Democratic governor in recent years to make such an announcement. Previously, Oregon’s Gov. Kitzhaber and Colorado’s Gov. Hickenlooper took the same executive action. Eighteen states have outlawed the death penalty altogether, including six in just the last six years.

The governor also pointed out that capital punishment doesn’t serve the cause of equal justice. Counties are inconsistent in their ability to use the death penalty because of disparities in their budgets. The expense of pursuing death penalty cases to their conclusion can be prohibitive. Inslee said:

The costs associated with prosecuting a capital case far outweigh the price of locking someone up for life without the possibility of parole.

Another Big Gun-Rights Defeat - Colorado Rejects Bill to Allow Armed Teachers

Local news reports

The targeting of a Colorado schoolteacher by an armed teen last year didn't sway Colorado Democrats on permitting teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus.

A Democratic House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 yesterday to reject another Republican bill to expand gun rights. The bill would allow school districts to permit teachers, not just designated school resource officers, to carry concealed weapons if the school districts wish.

Similar Republican proposals have been made before without success, but the suggestion had additional resonance after last year's Arapahoe High School shootings, in which a student targeted a teacher.

Lots of Interesting Statistics

Top Criminal Justice Schools

Southern Beale's Tennessee Gun Report - First Week of February 2014

A woman, that police reported as the mother of a four-year-old boy that accidentally shot himself, leads officers into her apartment in Parkway Village Monday afternoon during an investigation at the scene.

Southern Beale has the usual grisly roundup.

Three accidental shootings this week — two of them fatalities, for those of you keeping track. That’s not counting the usual rash of drug and gang-related gun violence (we get three or four shootings a day here in Nashville).

Local news reports

A 4-year-old boy shot and killed himself Monday afternoon while playing with a gun he found in his Parkway Village apartment, police said.

The incident happened about 1:30 p.m. in the 3900 block of Camelot Lane in the Camelot Manor apartments. Police believe the boy discovered the gun, began playing with it and then pulled the trigger. His mother was with him in the apartment at the time.

Late Monday night, police identified the boy as Joshua Johnson. No charges had been filed Monday.

Has anyone else begun to notice how many of these incidents we're seeing lately? The pro-gun crowd love to write these cases off based on the CDC stats which state that there are only about 600 accidental deaths a year. Yet, between Southern Beale and myself, we seem to be catching nearly that many, and ours is by no means an exhaustive and comprehensive accounting.

What could explain this? Is it beyond the realm of possibility that the revered CDC numbers are under-reported? Is it not possible that their 600 a year is just the tip of the iceberg and in reality there are far more than that?

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Pennsylvania Mom-of-the-Year Goes to Trial in Son's Death

Local news reports

A Greencastle mother who was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment after her 6-year-old shot his 8-year-old brother in the head in September, will now head to trial.

Jessica R. Pfaff, 32, was charged Jan. 9 with felony involuntary manslaughter, two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child after the incident that occurred on Sept. 1 in Southampton Township.

Pfaff submitted to a blood draw at Chambersburg Hospital, which was sent to NWS Labs for analysis. The lab results stated that several substances, including benzoylecgonine and oxycodone, were found in her blood. Police said benzoylecgonine is an inactive metabolite and chemical breakdown product of cocaine, and Pfaff admitted to snorting her prescription pills, purchasing prescription medication, giving her medication to people and previously using cocaine, though she denied any recent cocaine use.

Pfaff is prescribed 14 to 15 medications that she takes daily, including medications for sleep issues and depression, the document states.

Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed previously said while she did not pull the trigger, “the outstanding investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police showed a pattern of neglect of her two boys; the presence of, at a minimum, prescription drugs in her system to the point where she was not awakened by a gunshot mere inches from where she was; and a failure to take even the most simple steps to ensure the safety of her children.”

13-year-old Released in Accidental Puyallup Washington shooting Death - Prosecutors Still Weighing Charges but Not Against the Parents

Eddie Holmes, 13, was accidentally shot and killed last Thursday in a Puyallup home. (Holmes family photo)


Local  news reports

A 13-year-old Puyallup boy accused of accidentally shooting and killing his friend has been released from custody as Pierce County prosecutors continue looking at whether to charge him with a crime.

"It's more important to make the right decision than quick decision," said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. He announced Tuesday his office was reviewing evidence and the boy was released to his parents and is not considered a danger to the community.

The alleged shooter has been held since Thursday's shooting death of Eddie Holmes, 13, in a Puyallup home. Police say Holmes and four other boys were hanging out when the boy who lives in the home brought out the gun to show friends. Another boy grabbed it and the gun went off, shooting Holmes in the chest. He later died at Tacoma General Hospital.

Holmes' family spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday about the shooting. His mother Sandy said she doesn't blame the boys, but wants the parents held accountable for allowing access to the gun.

"Kids are kids, no matter what we try to teach them and tell them they are kids. And it is up to parents to secure not only our children but the children that come into our home," she said.