I was watching 60 Minutes the other night, and they had a feature about people trying to leave New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for an adjacent suburb. The police from that city had blocked the bridge between the two cities, preventing the exodus, and fired a shotgun blast into the air to warn off the people trying to cross.
Anyway, whether or not this is a case of racism because the people leaving New Orleans were black, and the adjoining city was mainly white is a matter for debate. What really struck me was that this woman who was trying to cross the bridge said, “I live in a city, so I’ve heard gun shots before.” What? Is this what we’re supposed to take for granted now? I live in a city, and I’ve never heard a gun shot. I hope I never do.
dude
i lived in Russia for 15 years and never heard a gunshot. the moral of the story is – Russia is safer than US?
Never heard, um, unwanted or undesireable gunshots myself. Been to a firing range a few times and the shots there, well, you EXPECT them so it’s kind of invigorating. I’m actually glad I’ve never heard one in the streets!
Lemme tell ya something though, the sound of a leg or arm bone cracking under human pressure … or, the sound of a 8″ knife hitting bone … THAT is utterly gross!