Thursday, 18th March 2013
YOKO ONO CAMPAIGNS TO OUTLAW GUNS IN THE UK – Yoko Ono is no stranger to controversy and her belief that mankind can live together in harmony and has now entered the on-going debate over gun control in the US.
Yoko tweeted and image (below) of the blood stained glasses that John Lennon was wearing when he was gunned down in cold blood on December 8th 1980, by Mark Chapman, outside the entrance of The Dakota building, near Central Park in New York City.
In order to make her point known she tweeted the image along with a series of tweets in order to get her message of peace across to the people.
While some people felt the image was distasteful and controversial, it certainly has had the impact that Yoko desired. It is after all a stark reminder of what is left behind; which is nothing but devastation and an emptiness that can never be filled – this feeling is experienced by anyone left behind by the result of gun violence.
It is almost astonishing to think that since Lennon’s death over 1 million US citizens have been killed as a direct result of gun crime and that nearly 32,000 US citizens are victims of gun violence every year.
Like many gun control advocates Yoko’s twitter messages came a day after the National Rifle Association (NRA) won a victory for gun owners as the US Senate announced it would not include a ban on assault weapons in the bill.
This announcement sent shockwaves through the communities who advocate gun control laws due to the fact that assault weapons appear to be the weapon of choice on killing sprees, such as that of Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Read
The Killing of Innocence: Sandy Hook Elementary School
The Right to Bear Arms: Sandy Hook Elementary School Analysis
NRA Makes Public Announcement Over Sandy Hook Killings
Assault weapons were also the preferred choice in at the cinema in Auraro, Colorado.
The division of those wanting to ban guns and those wanting to continue with their 2nd amendment right bear arms, is cavernous, however finding ways to reduce violent gun crime in the US is the goal of many.
Is it possible to find this balance and the question remains…’If guns are freely available to buy, with little or no control, how can the US, in all practicality, ever hope to stop the killing of so many innocent people?’
