Articles by Steven Gilchrist

A few months ago, in April 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother.   The toddler was sitting in the backseat of the car that his mother was driving.   A loaded gun was on the floor behind the driver’s seat.   The boy picked up the gun and pulled the trigger.   A bullet struck and killed the boy’s mother.   Unfortunately, this heartbreaking circumstance is not an isolated occurrence.    According to The Washington Post, in 2015, about once a week across the United States a child has found a gun and pointed the gun at themselves or someone else and pulled the trigger. According to an October 14, 2015 Washington Post article by Christopher Ingraham, research indicates that more than 2/3rds of these incidents involving children accidentally shooting guns could have been prevented if gun owners had stored their guns properly and prevented children from gaining access to the firearm. With the r...

In October 2015, torrential rainstorms in South Carolina caused 20 to 25 dams to fail.   The failure of these dams contributed to flooding in several parts of South Carolina.   As a result of the flooding, 17 people died and $12 billion worth of property was damaged.   Several of the dams that were breached in South Carolina were over 100 years old.   Nationwide there are 2,962 dams in the United States that are over 100 years old. The catastrophic conditions in South Carolina last fall highlight the importance of having adequately maintained dams.   Unfortunately, the United States has not suitably maintained its vast network of dams.   The average age of dams in the U.S. is 54 years old.   Engineers estimate that about 70% of the 87,000 dams in America will be more than 50 years old by 2020. A May 17, 2016 article from The Huffington Post.com states: “High-hazard dams, especially those that are poorly maintained, pose a threat to life ...

The creation and increased popularity of the Internet has allowed millions of users the ability to buy products, re-connect with old friends, and learn about new places and environments.   However, the Internet has also allowed child predators to lurk in the dark corners of the World Wide Web and share illegal images of children.   In the United States it is a federal crime to knowingly access, distribute, manufacture, and possess with the intent to view child pornography.   All 50 states and the District of Columbia also have laws against child pornography.    According to a July 29, 2012 Boston Globe article by Jenifer B. McKim about investigating Internet child pornography: “There has been a proliferation of sexual abuse pictures in recent years with the spread of high-speed Internet access and identity-masking software, according to Ernie Allen,” who is the founding chairman of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According t...