June U.S. Shooting Report numbers soar

Although I have changed the formula in counting shootings—it is now one shooting for each death or wounded to conform with Brady campaign protocol—the total number has climbed to more than 4-times the May figure.  June was a startling 361 to 90 in May.  Prior to this, if three people were shot in the same incident, it was counted as one shooting.  Once again, these numbers are taken direct from qualified news reports throughout the country.

But the number of dead and wounded from shootings is even worse, considering the sizable increases.  In May there were 69 people killed as a result of a shooting compared to 128 in June.  That is an 85.5% increase.  These are folks their family or friends will never see again…all because of a gun.  Also in May, there were 131 woundings from shootings, compared to 233 in June.  That is a 77.9% increase.  And some of these may have died by now.

I keep saying this but it is still beyond me why lawmakers, and the White House, haven’t taken action to do something about this crisis.  They do have something of an excuse—which is really inexcusable—with the coming November elections.  But the major gun control advocates have absolutely no excuse for not jumping on these numbers to point out the need for immediate action to stop gun violence.  This report can’t be the only source of data; if it is, the situation is worse than any of us thought.

Once again, let me encourage any of you who know of shootings I have missed in this or future reports to let me know through comments and I will post an update.

Here are the June numbers by date and location, broken down by shootings, dead and wounded.  This is in a Word compatible Excel format which I hope to have converted to HTML soon so that all months will be available, and the file will be interactive.

DATE	CITY/STATE	SHOOTINGS	DEAD	WOUNDED
6/1/2012	Phoenix, AZ	5	5	0
6/1/2012	Tucson, AZ	1	0	1
6/1/2012	Miami, FL	2	1	1
6/2/2012	Phoenix, AZ	1	1	0
6/2/2012	Brooklyn, NY	2	1	1
6/2/2012	Clarksdale, MS	1	0	1
6/2/2012	Vallejo, CA	4	1	3
6/2-6/5/2012	Baltimore, MD	10	4	6
6/3/2012	El Mirage, AZ	2	1	1
6/3/2012	Miami, FL	2	2	0
6/3/2012	Phoenix, AZ	2	0	2
6/4/2012	Surprise, AZ	2	1	1
6/4/2012	Los Angeles, CA	2	1	1
6/4/2012	Springfield, MA	2	2	0
6/4/2012	Little Mexico, TX	1	1	0
6/4/2012	Phoenix, AZ	2	2	0
6/5/2012	Fresno, CA	4	1	3
6/6/2012	Chicago, IL	3	1	2
6/7/2012	Stone Mountain, GA	2	2	0
6/7/2012	New York, NY	3	3	0
6/8/2012	Belle Glade, FL	2	0	2
6/8/2012	Cobb County, GA	1	1	0
6/8-6/9/2012	Hartford, CT	11	2	9
6/9/2012	Auburn, AL	4	3	1
6/9/2012	Sacramento, CA	4	4	0
6/9/2012	Glasgow, MT	1	0	1
6/9/2012	Selma, CA	5	5	0
6/9/2012	Rochester, NY	3	1	2
6/9-6/11/2012	Mount Vernon, NY	2	0	2
6/10/2012	Hartford, CT	3	1	2
6/10/2012	Corpus Christi, TX	2	0	2
6/10/2012	Goldsboro, NC	4	0	4
6/11/2012	Louisville, KY	2	1	1
6/11/2012	West Palm Beach, FL	1	1	0
6/11/2012	Baltimore, MD	5	0	5
6/11-6/12/2012	Chicago, IL	7	2	5
6/12/2012	Tucson, AZ	1	1	0
6/12/2012	Providence, RI	1	1	0
6/13/2012	Kansas City, MO	2	1	1
6/13/2012	Buffalo, NY	1	1	0
6/13/2012	Buffalo, NY	1	1	0
6/13/2012	San Francisco, CA	4	2	2
6/13/2012	Bakersfiels, CA	2	0	2
6/13/2012	Chicago, IL	2	2	0
6/14/2012	Orlando, FL	2	2	0
6/14/2012	Phoenix, AZ	1	1	0
6/15/2012	Phoenix, AZ	1	1	0
6/15-6/17/2012	Chicago, IL	31	5	26
6/15/2012	St. Louis, MO	7	2	5
6/15-6/16/2012	Hamden, CT	1	0	1
6/15-6/17/2012	Chicago, IL	42	7	35
6/16/2012	Baltimore, MD	2	0	2
6/16/2012	Phoenix, AZ	4	0	4
6/16-6/17/2012	Camden, NJ	2	2	0
6/17/2012	Paterson, NJ	3	0	3
6/17/2012	Indianapolis, IN	2	2	0
6/17/2012	Anchorage, AK	3	1	2
6/17/2012	Phoenix, AZ	1	0	1
6/17/2012	Anniston, AL	1	0	1
6/18/2012	New Orleans, LA	2	0	2
6/18/2012	Pensacola, FL	2	0	2
6/18/2012	Manatee, FL	2	0	2
6/19/2012	Chicago, IL	2	2	0
6/19/2012	Chicago, IL	1	0	1
6/19/2012	McAllen, TX	3	3	0
6/19/2012	New Orleans, LA	3	1	2
6/20/2012	Edinburg, TX	4	2	2
6/20/2012	Houston, TX	5	3	2
6/21-6/26/2012	Flint, MI	10	6	4
6/22/2012	Buffalo, NY	2	0	2
6/24/2012	Trenton, NJ	2	1	1
6/22/2012	Phoenix, AZ	3	0	3
6/22/2012	Ionia, MI	3	1	2
6/22/2012	Richmond, CA	2	1	1
6/22-6/23/2012	Chicago, IL	14	1	13
6/23/2012	Beverly Hills, CA	2	2	0
6/23/2012	Rockford, IL	4	0	4
6/23/2012	Phoenix, AZ	1	0	1
6/23/2012	Albany, GA	3	0	3
6/23/2012	No. Las Vegas, NV	2	0	2
6/23/2012	Anchorage, AK	2	0	2
6/23/2012	Atlanta, GA	2	2	0
6/23/2012	Portland, TX	2	1	1
6/23-6/24/2012	Salinas, CA	3	1	2
6/24/2012	Louisville, KY	6	1	5
6/24/2012	Denver, CO	1	1	0
6/24/2012	Chicago, IL	2	1	1
6/24/2012	St. Louis, MO	2	0	2
6/25/2012	West Houston, TX	2	2	0
6/26/2012	Tucson, TX	1	0	1
6/26/2012	East Orange, NJ	2	2	0
6/26/2012	Miami, FL	2	2	0
6/26/2012	Memphis, TN	1	0	1
6/26/2012	Evansville, IN	3	0	3
6/27/2012	Las Vegas, NV	2	1	1
6/27/2012	Chicago, IL	2	1	1
6/28/2012	Fayetteville, NC	3	2	1
6/28/2012	SE Washington, DC	3	0	3
6/28/2012	Newport News, VA	3	1	2
6/28/2012	Houston, TX	5	1	4
6/29/2012	Chicago, IL	4	0	4
6/29/2012	Essex County, NJ	2	2	0
6/30/2012	San Jose Hills, CA	2	0	2
6/30 12	Winterhaven, CA	2	0	2
6/30/2012	Chicago, IL	3	1	2
TOTALS		361	128	233

See March, April, May reports.

Is the “God Particle” the link between science and religion?

It probably depends on your relationship with God, and just how important the creationist theory is in your faith.  Beyond that, there is the belief in Christ that is necessary to be a true Christian.  Further, religious fundamentalism is an organized, militant Evangelical movement insisting on the inerrancy of Scripture.  Even more complicated is the term, “Rapture,” which is shared by many fundamentalists to explain the second coming of Christ.

Religion has become so diversified that it is impossible to define most religions today in the sense of where they originated.  Many will say this doesn’t matter as long as you stick to your beliefs, but there are others who search, even demand, that we discover the secret to creation and salvation.  Christians have the latter locked up in believing it is through Christ; agnostics are confident there is a God, but don’t buy deliverance through the Christ figure.

Higgs boson collider

And then came the Higgs boson discovery, better known as the “God Particle,” without which, scientists tell us, there would be no life in the universe.  But, The Economist reports, it does not explain creation itself.  I can imagine the church pulpits across the country, even the world, on July 8, trying to put this in perspective for their congregations, particularly Christian groups.  Unitarians, on the other hand, might find it interesting.

An Agnostic might say this is what I have been telling you all along.  Since this group does believe in a God of sorts, because they can’t comprehend of a universe this complex without a creative entity, Higgs boson could be the answer to many questions.  Supposition might go something like this: a deity created the “God Particle” and science took it from there in the form of the evolution of man.  The term “evolution” could even take on a more positive approach in religion.

Peter Higgs

Peter Higgs, who first proposed the Higgs boson theory doesn’t seem very impressed by the name it has been given, the “God Particle.”  Higgs is an avowed atheist and would probably not agree with what I have said.  To the atheist, it just happened, the “big bang” as some have identified it.  In their belief, they feel there is no need for the “divine crutch” to lean on to face death. 

We will most likely never bridge the gap between this ideology and passionate religious beliefs, but for most of us, the “God Particle” is the first step to help connect those who want to believe in some order of divine creation and those who are the religious fundamentalists.  This isn’t going to outdo the theory of evolution, but it will certainly give those thinkers who are interested in finding out who they are and why they are here a place to start.