Ten-year-olds massacred in their classrooms. Elders and community members gunned down at a supermarket with “Friendly” in its name. Two recent additions to a list so long, it makes us gasp. Mass shootings, many of them hate crimes, have become a horrifying reality – and a distinctly American one.
So why does this keep happening? Because those who profit from gun sales have inordinate power in our rigged system. And, importantly, because those who benefit from the status quo try to convince the rest of us there’s nothing we can do about it, that the problem, in fact, is a nondescript “we” and not them.
The truth is that we know what it takes to stop or drastically reduce gun violence. Most of us can name a set of commonsense policies that have worked in other countries. What private person needs access to an assault weapon so deadly, parents in Uvalde had to use DNA to identify the body of their murdered child? Why should you need a license to drive but not to shoot? Why does Facebook know instantly that I want a new pair of sandals but the authorities are clueless that an 18-year-old is celebrating his birthday by purchasing two AR-15 rifles and 375 rounds of ammunition?
It’s not a fluke that other countries have fewer incidents of gun violence. The chief reason: they have fewer guns. The U.S. is, in fact, the only country where the number of guns exceeds the number of people. We’re not talking about the average American who likes to hunt. A mere three percent of percent of American adults own half the nation’s firearms.
Research again and again confirms that crime in the U.S. is not more prevalent than other developed countries; it’s simply more lethal.
The Process is the Problem
What we lack is not solutions, but a fair process to enact them. Regardless of the public hunger for solutions to the gun crisis, lobbyists for the gun industry have succeeded in blocking policy change. Their weapon in that effort? Money, in the form of contributions to candidates who do their bidding and primary fights against those who do not.
That means that standing up for gun safety is integrally related to the fight for genuine democracy to U.S., to remove the power of money in politics, to ensure elected officials are representative of the communities they serve and that the mechanisms of elections and decision-making fairly represent the will of every voter..
The fight for gun safety is also intricately connected to the fight against white supremacy, misogyny and all other forms of hate.
Guns don’t create hate. That’s manufactured by right-wing spokespeople with huge resources and giant megaphones. They scapegoat various groups based on their race or gender or religion or sexual identity, hoping others will focus their anger there rather on those responsible for our common woes. Dividing us is the best way to hang on to power.
The hate-mongers may not carry out violence themselves. But they reach the ears of those inclined to inflict harm and swayed by the massive ad campaigns of gun dealers that assault rifles and other weapons are the way for them to seize control of their own lives. Typically those firing the shots are men, often convinced, as Michael Kimmel put it, that masculinity means “You don’t get mad, you get even.”
So How Do We Stand Up?
Resist efforts that spread despair and hopelessness. Connect with groups that are helping lead this fight. Demand of any candidate for public office whether they take money from the gun lobby and make clear that saying yes means they will lose your vote.
As you work with others who share your views, be sure to name who’s responsible and to connect these safety measures with efforts to eradicate white supremacy and other forms of hate-mongering and to promote genuine democracy. Welcome small wins, but always as part of the fight for systemic change.
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