That I can even write these words shows the depth of this
problem. School shootings, along with
other mass shootings, are becoming the norm.
We know exactly how things will play out in the days and weeks following
them because we repeat the exact same cycle over and over again.
Mass shootings are becoming so commonplace
that we’re becoming desensitized to them.
When Columbine happened, the country rightfully recoiled in horror. I was just 14 years old at the time, but I still
remember exactly where I was when I heard the news because it was so
shocking. Now, I can’t even remember all
the shootings that have happened in just the last year. There have been 18 shooting incidents at
schools just this year, and the long
term statistics are even more disheartening; according to the New York Times,
there have been 239 shooting incidents at schools since the Sandy Hook massacre
in 2012 (read the full article, as well as the definition of what constitutes a
school shooting incident, at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/15/us/school-shootings-sandy-hook-parkland.html).
239 shooting incidents in less than six years. There aren’t words for how repugnant this
is. But the most damning part is that we
continue to allow them to happen.
Nothing changes, no matter how many bullets are fired or lives are lost. The rightful anger at this is growing, but it
is a double-edged sword; many people are lashing out in their anger, making
questionable accusations or hurling derogatory remarks. Misinformation and propaganda spread like
wildfire, especially in the aftermath of a tragedy like this. These things only serve to further reinforce
the divide that is preventing us from finding a solution. More importantly, it is the misunderstood
nature of this divide that keeps us apart.
So many think that the divide is purely political, that it
is Republican versus Democrat, Conservative versus Liberal, Right versus Left,
or Pro-gun versus Pro-gun control. But
that is a purely superficial interpretation that ignores the true nature of the
divide, which is that neither side actually knows what to do, but thinks that
the other side is inherently wrong. They
are blinded by their arrogance and are thusly unwilling to listen; instead,
they hurl insults and cast aspersions.
Both sides do have many good, valid points, but neither is willing to
actually consider them because of all the animosity. They let their preconceptions and assumptions
about each other color everything, which prevents discussion and precludes the
real, meaningful change we so desperately need.
There is an even bigger problem with the divide, however,
which is that there are people on both sides that actively undermine any
attempt at progress. It isn’t that they
don’t want to address the problem, but that they have become so blinded by
propaganda, misinformation, and greed that they believe the other side to be
the enemy. When one side makes any kind
of suggestion or criticism, the other attacks it, regardless of its validity,
and dismisses it without any consideration.
For example, many have pointed out an ambiguity in the Second Amendment
which is that “arms” isn’t clearly defined.
The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers do shed some light on this,
but it is still vague. Yet when someone
suggests we update it to define what “arms” are, they are instantly attacked
for wanting to take away the Second Amendment, which is preposterous. By that same token, there are many who feel
legitimate concern about putting limitations on Constitutional rights. History shows us that our government has no
qualms about trampling our rights, which is precisely the reason the Bill of
Rights was written; our founders knew that if certain rights weren’t
specifically enshrined in the Constitution, they could never be expected to be
kept. But when people mention this as
the reason they are wary of limiting access to firearms, they are attacked for
caring more about guns than human life.
Put simply, there is no innocent side in this debate. Both sides have committed the exact same sins
in refusing to discuss, debate, or act.
Everyone agrees that the epidemic of gun violence cannot be allowed to
continue; we just can’t agree on a solution.
To be fair, I don’t think there will ever be unanimous concurrence on
this subject. But because we refuse to
actually discuss, the problem, we can’t act, and so long as we do this, people
will die.
So what is the answer?
To be blunt, I don’t have one. As
I said, both sides have good points, and I agree with many of them. Our gun laws could certainly use
strengthening in at least some areas, but I fear that doing too much would
violate the Second Amendment. Some
suggest we need to find a middle ground, but as that is a logical fallacy, I
see little merit to it. Unfortunately,
most of the suggestions people make suffer from the same fatal flaw: they dance
around the problem by addressing the symptom instead of the cause (which isn’t
truly known because Congress, under pressure from the NRA, forbade the CDC from
researching gun violence in 1996 and cut their budget by precisely the amount
they had been using on said research). I
don’t pretend to know the answer to this, but you can know what the answer to
something isn’t without knowing what it is; I don’t know what the square root
of 5,984,364 is, but I know it’s not 9.
The answer isn’t something anyone truly knows, and it isn’t just going
to appear before our eyes. But we owe it
do every single mass shooting victim to find the answer.
Fortunately, there is renewed hope. The survivors of the tragedy in Parkland have
started a movement to prevent future shootings.
They have galvanized support by appealing directly to the anger,
frustration, and sadness so many have felt over these horrors. They have called out politicians who only
offer “thoughts and prayers” instead of acting.
They have called out the NRA for buying politicians and working to
undermine every single attempt at addressing this problem. They have made it clear that the status quo
cannot continue. Most of all, they have
made it clear that they and the people of this country will not rest until this
problem is properly addressed.
While the movement is obviously in its infancy, evidence of
its early success is everywhere. The NRA
is calling for an end to loopholes in the background check system (which they
have historically fought tooth and nail).
President Trump has suggest a ban on bump stocks (I don’t think this
will have any measurable effect on gun violence, but the fact that he even
suggested this shows that pressure to address the problem is having some
effect). In just the last 24 hours,
multiple advertisers have left the NRA, showing that people and entities will
not continue to support them if they will not take a more progressive stance on
gun violence. People are calling out their
representatives in no uncertain terms (with some getting downright graphic due
to their understandably high emotions) for not acting, and at least some of
them are making concessions.
The progress made in the last week and a half is remarkable,
and with marches and walk-outs planned in the coming weeks and months, much
more will be accomplished. We have a
responsibility to every child to keep them safe. We are obligated to fight for the victims, to
give them a voice. We must keep the
pressure on our leaders. They must
always remember that they are there to serve us, not special interests. They need to know that our voices can no
longer be ignored, that excuses about it “being too soon” or “not the time” to
debate and discuss this will no longer fly.
It’s long past time for change. We must do all we can to make sure such
tragedies never repeat themselves. The
first step is to actually have the debate we’ve been avoiding for so long. People need to leave behind special
interests, biases, preconceptions, and assumptions and look at the facts: too
many people have died already because we refuse to act. That must end now. Even one more person wounded or life taken is
too many. We have the power to change
this, to fix the problem, to make our society a safer one.
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