I love the Kern River. I've probably driven there a hundred times or more over the past 20 years. But it can be a dangerous place for the young, the inexperienced, the careless, as evidenced by a sign warning of lives lost just before you enter the gorge en route to Lake Isabella from Bakersfield.
Which makes this Bakersfield.com report even more sobering:
Pools now claiming more victims than Kern River...
So far this year there have been seven drownings in pools compared to just four in the river...
So far, five local children under the age of 10 have drowned this year.
Compare this to the Kern County Child Death Review Team 2006 Report, the most recent year for which I could find statistics, for "child gun deaths."
For ages one to 17, there were three "gunshot" homicides and one "gunshot" accident out of a total of 38 deaths.
Now consider this report from KGET.com:
Homicides are on a record pace in Kern County, and police think they know why -- a deadly new strategy by gang members to murder turf rivals. There may be more than a hundred homicides this year.
Any guesses where the juvenile homicides in the county report are coming from? Who seriously thinks disarming you and me is the solution to stopping the violence?
But let's jump back in the pool. Let's listen to Bakersfield Fire Chief Ron Fraze. He recommends you watch your kids. And he shares wisdom:
Swimming lessons are a better safety device, he said.
Exactly. Knowledge is the key to safe practices. Ignorance leads to tragedy.
Provide age-appropriate gun training to those in your care. To borrow a phrase from those who would be horrified by the prospect, do it for the children.
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Gun Rights Examiner on Andy Caldwell Show
I've been invited back. I'll be on the Andy Caldwell Show (KINF AM 1440, Central Coast, CA) later today to discuss, among other things, New Jersey's one-gun-a-month bill and ACORN's role in using tax money to stump for citizen disarmament.
If you don't live where you can get pick up the station's signal, you can click on the banner here for live stream access. We're pre-recording my segment this afternoon and it will air at 4:00 pm PST, so adjust accordingly for your time zone if you'd like to listen in.
Also see: Will N.J. 'one gun a month' bill stop the violence?
Comments
Good point, thanks for the Kern Co. info! I think pointing out that during a period of rising gang crime, disarming the public just helps the gangs. Should there be criminal charges against those who knowingly pass legislation which favors the violent gang members reign of terror by disarming law abiding citizens?
I grew up in a small town near the Kern River and Lake Isabella and went there often while I lived there. I love the area I love Kern County, I'm eternally grateful I no longer live in that State though.
What about the type of bullying known as mobbing and gangstalking and the fact that some sites say the police and firemen are in on doing the bullying and harassing? We are bullied, harassed and abused by police and firemen as well as clerks in City Hall, Social Services, postal workers, doctors, nurses, neighbors, etc. Some sites say the perpetrators try to get their victims to commit suicide. With so much on the internet about this, why is it we never see it in the news or hear it on talk shows, etc. There are books about it but we never see it in magazines, newspapers, etc. Why are they covering this up? This needs to be investigated. I, myself, and my family and friends can give hundreds of examples of this just by what they are doing to us. This goes on day after day and yet no one does anything about it. Why do the cops say it will take them three days to come out whenever we call them. And why don't they ticket the vehicles in California with no front license plate, junk cars?
Please keep comments on topic.
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