Comprehension: Young US Blacks See Lives Shattered By Gun Violence

Columbine, Aurora, Newtown -- it's mass killings like these that revive the debate on US gun laws. But for thousands of young African Americans, gun violence is a day-to-day ordeal.
Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. All the group of men that meet are in wheelchairs because they were shot.
a. True
b. False

2. There are nearly 300 thousand privately owned firearms in America.
a. True
b. False

3.Murder was the biggest cause of death amongst African Americans aged between 10 and 24 in 2012.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Every Tuesday afternoon at Washington Hospital, this group of men meets to talk about life bound to a wheelchair. All are paralysed, victims of a bullet that spared their lives but changed them forever.
"I was coming from the club. My friend was at the car, waiting for me because I was talking to this girl. And they rushed me to come and get in the car. So I ran to the car and pulled off. As soon as I pulled off, I blanked out."
38-year-old Kwame was only 25 when he was shot. He's one of thousands of black men injured or killed every year in gun-related violence. With nearly 300 million privately owned firearms across the US, Americans are the most powerfully armed civilians in the world. Mass killings, like the Newtown school shooting that left 20 young children and 6 adults dead, always stir the debate on US gun laws. But experts say these massacres don't reflect the real problem.  "The reality of gun violence in the United States is that it is concentrated in the inner-cities, among the poor and the victims are disproportionately, overwhelmingly young black and Hispanic men."
More than 30 people are shot and killed every day in America, and nearly half of them are black - mostly killed by other black men. After a youth marred by crime, "Ish" was shot in 1998 by an armed robber. One bullet grazed his head, and another ripped through his neck. He was lucky to survive and says he's learned a hard lesson.
"It's not worth it. Just think first before you react, you know. Because once you get punished, there is no way out. It's easy to get in trouble but it's hard to get out."
Homicides were the leading cause of death among 10 to 24-year-old African Americans in 2012, and since the Newtown shooting in December, more than 2,000 men and women have been shot and killed. Sobering statistics that reflect the nationwide problem of gun violence.



Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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