By Jeremy Moore/ se news editor
Gun violence is a huge issue in America, but the hearts of people are a bigger issue.
Former New Orleans Saints football player Will Smith was murdered in a case of road rage April 9. Smith’s wife Racquel, who was in the car with him, was shot in the leg twice. She survived the shooting and was rushed to a local hospital. Smith and his wife had two sons and a daughter.
A lot of adolescents are not learning how to handle conflicts from their parents anymore. Instead, they’re learning how to handle conflicts from their favorite rappers. Popular music that promotes murder and revenge has been glorified for too long.
In 1994, a Milwaukee police officer was shot and killed in his police van while patrolling an area by an empty lot. As he turned a corner, two 17-year-olds waited for him, and one of them fired shots into the van. When the shooter was questioned, he told police that a Tupac Shakur song about killing a police officer inspired his action.
In 2013, three teenagers murdered an Australian college baseball player in Oklahoma and claimed to do it because of boredom. Before the shooting, one of the teenager’s Twitter accounts had many tweets that appeared to mention a looming murder, but they ended up being lyrics to a song by Chicago rapper Chief Keef.
Instead of violence and revenge being promoted in music, self-control and respect should be promoted. Conflicts should not be resolved by murder. Too many children wind up without fathers and mothers without sons because of senseless murders.
Before a gunman shoots someone, he doesn’t think about how that person’s family will be affected by his death. The main thing that goes through his mind is how mad he is at that moment. People have to always remember to consider others. No one wants to be killed or have one of their loved ones killed.
People shouldn’t make actions based on anger. Getting cut off on the road or being called a disrespectful name are things that can really test someone’s patience, but these things don’t warrant murder.
