Everytown pushes new ‘gun violence prevention’ measure

mikeyp

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Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun prohibition lobbying group backed by anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg, has launched a new email blast urging recipients to call their U.S. senators and demand that they support S. 2275, also known as the “Break the Cycle of Violence Act.

It looks to be a $5 billion boondoggle effort to “invest” in “gun violence intervention” programs in communities that are “most impacted by the gun violence crisis.”

The legislation was introduced in June by anti-gun New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat who ran for president in 2020 but dropped out of the primary race.

Their form letter

“Dear Senator,




“As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor and work to advance the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, S.2275. The passage of this bill would be a historic step forward in addressing community gun violence, a public health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black communities in the U.S. The Act would also be a first of its kind: a targeted investment of billions of dollars over eight years in the communities most impacted.

“The community-based violence intervention strategies supported by the Break the Cycle of Violence Act are informed by public health models and provide culturally competent, trauma-responsive services to individuals and communities impacted by gun violence. These programs have been proven to reduce gun violence, shift community norms, and improve the outcomes and resiliency of gun violence survivors.

“These comprehensive investments in the implementation and sustainability of community-based violence intervention programs are critical to reducing gun violence and building resilience and opportunity. I urge you to co-sponsor and work to advance S.2275 and support this life-saving bill.”

The bill is here

 
it's pork wrapped around "gun violence"

(c) Limitation.—Of the amount made available to carry out this title for a fiscal year, not more than 15 percent of such amount shall be made available to eligible units of local government.

meaning 85% has to go to private entities
 
Much? Has it ever actually been used?
Just like the Dukakis prison furlough program, every one thought Willie Horton was the big problem but prisoners were skipping out and murdering people from the beginning.
 
I’ve reviewed manuscripts submitted for publication in medical journals on such Violence Intervention programs. They all seem like something that could work - councilors and aid starts after ER admission of shooting victims, many of whom have gang relationships or hard lives in the hood. As most gun shot injuries are survived (see HeyJackass for Chicago statistics) finding out how to help people out of gangs and the hood seems like a good approach.

But look at those numbers - 2860 non-lethal shootings in 9mo is on track for ~4k per year. What kind of effort would it take to “lift” even 10% of those people out of the hood and/or gangsta life? With lifetime median earnings of $900k-1.7 million, depending on education level, that $5 billion could literally buy those 4000 people a new life. But most of the money will be squandered with few helped. The US spends a combined $1.1 trillion on a multitude of programs and payments annually - which has gotten us where we are today. That $5 billion brings that total up to $1.105 trillion - chump change.

When I review the manuscripts, I say encouraging words and accept with revisions, to include a review of the efficacy of such programs, knowing the data are all but absent. One author has submitted such papers over 10 years and still cannot point to any studies/data suggesting $$$-millions spent works better than prayer. Peer-councilors bounce back and forth from prison and government-paid counseling jobs, counseling those who bounce back and forth between the ER and prison until they find a grave. Spending more $$$-billions? Throwing more money down a rathole only makes rats richer.


Bringing it closer to home, the Boston Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (VIAP) finds that, for a 5 year period of 2013-2018: “Of the 2,243 victims of violent injury, 839 (37.4%) patients engaged with VIAP. Significant predictors of client engagement include younger age, Black race, permanent home, existing mental health diagnosis, gunshot wound, and more severe injuries. Conversely, older age, homelessness, substance use, stab wound, and less severe injuries predicted refusal of VIAP services. For clients who chose to engage with VIAP, needs related to education, employment, and housing were significantly less likely to be achieved compared to basic needs."

So, about 1/3 were engaged by VIAP (mostly young Blacks - probably males - with mental problems), but only wrt to basic needs rather than education, jobs and housing. They got patched up, some rehab, cash and food vouchers, and then cut loose. About 2/3 did not engage at all. That’s failure. Dismal failure.


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