Hispanic Media Advocate For Measures To Combat Gun Violence

Univision Spotlights Ricky Martin’s Call For Latinos To Voice Their Support For Gun Law Reform. Univision Noticias reported June 16 that Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin had written an open letter calling for unity, acceptance, and action and urging citizens to pressure their representatives for change. Martin reminded his readers that leaders in Congress are there “to represent you and your ideals” (translated from Spanish):

“How many more lives need to be sacrificed for us to do something around our weak current legislation of firearms?” asked Martin.

Equally, he asked “How is it possible that a person previously linked to terrorism and interrogated on multiple occasions by the FBI is permitted to work as a security guard and furthermore have the possibility to legally obtain a firearm?”

In this sense, [he] cited the words of Barack Obama that “knowingly not doing anything is also a decision,” and asked U.S. residents to “break the silence and call on each and every one of your congressmen (the ones that you voted for to represent you and your ideals) ten times every day until they do something.” [Univision Noticias, 6/16/16]

El Nuevo Herald: “Let’s Talk Guns Now.” On June 18, The Miami Herald’s Spanish-language version, El Nuevo Herald, re-printed a Washington Post editorial calling on Congress to follow through with reform proposals despite the influence of the “National Rifle Association and other extremists” who impede progress. The editorial supports new proposals for gun legislation reform, a ban on high-capacity magazines, and “Congress unleash[ing] the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence.” From the original English-language version:

Omar Mateen, an American citizen inspired by some combination of radicalism and hate to kill 49 people at a gay nightclub, was not on a terrorist watch list.

Better background checks may not have stopped Mateen; he also didn’t have a criminal record. So he legally purchased an AR-15 assault rifle and a Glock handgun at a St. Lucie gun store, weapons he used to murder.

Yet, if assault weapons were banned, he might have used other kinds of guns. If the government mandated smart guns, Mateen’s fingerprints would still have allowed him to pull the trigger, because he was the legitimate owner of the weapons he used for his slaughter.

The National Rifle Association and other extremists use a form of this jujitsu every time a mentally ill person or a hater uses the efficient killing machines known as guns to inflict mass death.

But in an era of lone-wolf radicalization, the aftermath of a homegrown terrorist attack is exactly the time to talk about sensible limits on gun ownership.

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They also remind us — or should — that a rational government would regulate such dangerous products, just as it regulates cars, pharmaceuticals and other more useful things.

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Research increasingly shows that universal background checks could help cut gun violence; without them, merely adding to the list of people who cannot legally own guns is not as effective.

Requiring safeguards such as fingerprint readers, meanwhile, would stop children and suicidal family members from shooting themselves or others with a weapon stored at home.

Banning high-capacity magazines would at least force mass murderers to reload more often.

If Congress unleashed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence, the government would have the data to know which set of policies would work best and which ideas would less usefully restrict gun ownership.

Tragedies would still happen, and the NRA would still argue that the rules are useless. But, over time and on average, fewer people would die. That is a legitimate goal. [El Nuevo Herald, 6/18/16]

La Opinión: “Approving These [Gun Control] Measures Is The Best Homage To Victims.” An editorial on La Opinón (in both English and Spanish) said the NRA’s influence “has only grown thanks to the permanent fabricated threat that Obama’s government wants to confiscate firearms,” and it slammed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for his “lie” that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants to “eliminate the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which regulates firearms”:

Opponents to any gun control measure always give the same response: people, not guns, are responsible – a claim that would also lead to allowing private ownership of war tanks and missiles.

The idea of an honest person bearing arms to combat criminals is a fallacy. Statistics show that most of the times guns are used against people who know their killers: a bad breakup, a layoff or any other personal crisis can turn an honest person into a killer because a firearm was available.

The AR-15 rifle was banned between 1994 and 2004, after a massacre in California. The GOP-led Congress let the measure expire following the pressure of the National Rifle Association, which calls the AR-15 “America’s rifle.”

For the past few years, the NRA’s influence has only grown thanks to the permanent fabricated threat that Obama’s government wants to confiscate firearms. This is a strategy replicated by the virtual Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, as he spreads the lie that his next rival Hillary Clinton wants to eliminate the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which regulates firearms.

There are two bills currently waiting to be passed in the House: One would prevent people on the FBI terrorist watch list from buying weapons, and another one would do the same for people convicted of hate crimes. There is also a proposal to prevent civilians from buying war weaponry. Approving those laws would be the best homage to the victims. [La Opinión, 6/14/16]

Univision’s Jorge Ramos Tells Victims’ Stories To Explain The Urgency For Gun Control. In a June 15 opinion piece written in Spanish (and translated for quotes here), Jorge Ramos listed example after sobering example of victims’ relatives who are still suffering the blow of the “act of hate” that occurred in Orlando, lamenting that “those filled with hate can buy a weapon of war in just minutes.” Ramos also bemoaned the fact that President Obama has had to address gun violence 16 time during his two terms and warned that “Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will have to address it many times more because there is no political will to limit the access to rifles and guns.” [Univision, 6/15/16]

Univision’s Enrique Acevedo: It’s An “Irrefutable Fact” That Lives Can Be Saved If Access To Assault Weapons Are Limited. Univision late night news anchor Enrique Acevedo stated in a June 13 tweet that “there is one irrefutable fact: lives can be saved if we limit access to assault rifles”:

[Twitter, 6/13/16]

Studies Show That A Majority Of Hispanics Are In Favor Of Legislation To Combat Gun Violence

Huff. Post: “Latinos Tend To Favor Gun Restrictions Regardless Of Their Party Affiliation.” The Huffington Post reported on a Latino Decisions poll that found that “a solid majority of Latino voters support gun control measures,” a consensus that transcends political party lines. From the March 12, 2013, article:

Gun enthusiasts won’t be getting much help from Latinos in their efforts to avoid new limits on firearm sales.

A poll released Tuesday by Latino Decisions shows that a solid majority of Latino voters support gun control measures that have gained traction in the wake of the Newtown and Aurora massacres.

Perhaps more problematic for conservatives, who support gun rights in larger numbers than liberals, is that Latinos tend to favor gun restrictions regardless of their party affiliation.

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“Latino voters are saying with a strong voice we want some new and smart gun policies taken up by the Congress,” Latino Decisions co-founder Matt Barreto told The Los Angeles Times.

A whopping 84 percent of Latinos said they supported requiring background checks before letting people buy guns, 69 percent favored establishing a national database of gunowners and 64 percent opposed allowing the mentally ill to buy guns.

Support of gun control among Latino voters is consistent with surveys conducted by Pew. Latinos are also the least likely ethnic group tracked by Gallup to own a gun. (Southern married men came in first, with 64 percent.) [Huffington Post, 3/12/13]

Pew Research Center Shows Majority Of Hispanics Support “Gun Control” Measures. A poll by the Pew Research Center in 2014 found that “Hispanics prioritize gun control over gun rights by a wide 71% to 25% margin.” [Pew Research Center, 12/10/14]

Hispanics Are Disproportionately Affected By Gun Violence

Violence Policy Center Study Finds Disproportionate Impact Of Gun Violence On Hispanics. A July 2015 Violence Policy Center study shows that “Hispanics are disproportionately affected by firearms violence in the United States,” with a “homicide victimization rate for Hispanic victims” that is “nearly twice as high as the murder rate for white victims”:

Hispanics are disproportionately affected by firearms violence in the United States. More than 47,000 Hispanics were killed by guns between 1999 and 2013, including 31,800 gun homicide victims and 13,317 gun suicides.

Hispanic Victims of Lethal Firearms Violence in the United States is an annual comprehensive study on gun violence against Hispanics in America. Here are just a few of the findings in the most recent edition:

• The homicide victimization rate for Hispanic victims is nearly twice as high as the murder rate for white victims.
• Homicide is the second leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 15 to 24.
• More than two-thirds of Hispanic murder victims are killed with guns. [Violence Policy Center, July 2015]