OAK CREEK, WI (WTAQ) – “I’ve had enough.”
That’s what the mayor of Oak Creek wrote in response to Wednesday’s shootings that killed 14 people at a holiday celebration for co-workers in San Bernadino, California.
Stephen Scaffidi faced a similar tragedy in Oak Creek in 2012 when a gunman killed six worshippers and himself at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.
Now, Mayor Scaffidi says he’s “weary” from being asked what the nation should do after every mass shooting incident.
In an opinion piece to Milwaukee media, Scaffidi says the debate on protecting citizens is run by politicans, lobbyists, and bloggers who give “tired cliches” on why nothing can be done.
Scaffidi says he’s a gun owner, but he still believes it’s “naive” to arm more people and encourage aggressive actions against shooters. He says the Sikh Temple tragedy, which severely wounded a police lieutenant, shows there’s no guarantee that gunmen will be stopped — even with highly-trained law enforcement close by.
The Oak Creek mayor says we can start seeking solutions by funding research and other proven efforts that reduce violence.
In Scaffidi’s words, “Why would we not care as much about this epidemic of violence as we do about all the other ways people die every day?”
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
