THE DANGEROUS WAITING GAME ON GUN REFORM IN AMERICA
The information about the Maine gunman who is suspected in the shooting deaths of 18 people and injuring 13 others is still developing, but here’s one thing that we already know: Gun violence is a disease that has crept into our schools, grocery stores, movie theaters and now bowling alleys. Yet nothing has changed.
The constant cries from parents and friends of the thousands of victims of gun violence don’t seem to break the hardened barriers put up by politicians, most of whom are on the right side of the political spectrum.
We are to believe that this most recent horrific, senseless act of mass violence was committed by a bad apple. That there is no way to stop random acts by disturbed individuals. But the facts and the continuous headlines suggest that gun violence has become a constant in our society. Perhaps the fact is we have become inured to gun violence. Because we choose again — and again — to do nothing. This lack of courage is exhausting and frustrating communities all across the country.
Take Nashville for example.
Don’t get your hopes up
The community of Lewiston, Maine, will experience the same grief and sadness that enveloped Nashville in March when a shooter went inside the private Covenant Christian School and shot and killed six people: three adults and three children.
One of the victims, Cindy Peak, was a family friend of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s wife, Maria.
Many Tennesseans felt that surely, now that the leader of the state had been touched so personally by the horror of gun violence, something would get done.
But what ended up happening was a whole lot of nothing. Lee called for a special legislative session that produced more political posturing than results. Nothing that resembled gun safety reforms or red flag laws was passed.
In the halls of Tennessee’s capitol building, lawmakers walked past protesters chanting, “You ban books, you ban drag, kids are still in body bags.”
That scene captured the turmoil and frustration over the fight for gun reform. No matter how loud or passionate we might be, it falls on deaf ears.
In exchange for their pain, grief and loss, the families of the Covenant shooting victims received empty gestures. The measures that were passed centered on mental health, which is a relevant issue. But there is far more to do. We cannot ignore the means of this violence — guns. The means matter.
Who will listen? Who will act? We might have to wait a while.
A dangerous waiting game
Residents of Lewiston, Maine, will join countless other Americans in waiting for something to change.
How long does it take until politicians shed their partisan ways of thinking that lead them to believe that nothing can be done?
We have lost sight of what is important in the conversation around guns. The narrative should always be focused on protecting the lives of Americans. In every shooting there is a single common denominator — the gun. Whether they are purchased legally or illegally, guns are too easy to come by in our country.
Legislators and gun rights advocates should not hide behind the Second Amendment when innocent people are being senselessly killed, when peace is stolen from a community whose members now fear going into a bowling alley or grocery store.
Yes, citizens are allowed to own firearms, but gun owners have responsibilities. Gun safety doesn’t mean that all guns should be taken away. Common sense should guide this debate, not fear-mongering over hypotheticals about gun seizures.
America is watching a disease run rampant. In response, our leaders, mainly those on the right, choose to respond with thoughts and prayers.
How can there be hope when there is denial? Where do we find answers when we cannot find common ground?
These questions don’t just pop up when the latest mass shooting stops the country cold if even for a few days. These are questions that linger in the minds of survivors and loved ones of gun violence victims who desperately hope that they will be the last to experience this grief and anger.
There are answers to this crisis, if only we call up the will to confront it. If our current lawmakers fail to help, then we need to push them out of the way. What is happening now is unsustainable and unforgivable.