As parents in the United States, we see our children off to school each day not knowing if they will be educated or be shot. Yesterday saw the 18th school shooting in 2018 alone. There have been 290 since 2013. When a country cares more about allowing its citizens access to firearms—including high-capacity, military-style weapons—than protecting its children, it has failed its children.
I won’t say not to despair, because I am full of despair right now myself. But out of our despair can come action. Spend some time on the Everytown site, MomsRising’s Gun Safety section, or those of other gun control organizations. Donate to their work if you can. Write to or call your members of Congress about restricting the sale and use of assault rifles and silencers, and enforcing stronger background checks. Check how much they have gotten from gun control and gun rights groups. Tell them you will not vote for them unless they support these measures and refuse money from the NRA and other gun rights organizations. Rinse and repeat. Don’t become immune.
Also, vote in November. Compare and contrast: The 2016 Democratic Platform says:
We will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws; repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war—such as assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (LCAM’s)—off our streets.
The 2016 Republican Platform says:
We oppose ill-conceived laws that would restrict magazine capacity or ban the sale of the most popular and common modern rifle. We also oppose any effort to deprive individuals of their right to keep and bear arms without due process of law. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and the current Administration’s illegal harassment of firearm dealers. We oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners, registration of ammunition, and restoration of the ill-fated Clinton gun ban.
That “most popular and common modern rifle” is the AR-15 assault rifle, which the NRA called “America’s Most Popular Rifle” in a January 2016 blog post. It’s a civilian model of the military’s M-16 and was used in the shooting yesterday, with a version also used in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and a similar rifle (though a different brand) used at the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. And those are just a few of its deadly engagements.
Platforms aside, though, party affiliation is not necessarily an indication of a politician’s stance on gun control, so again, check how much your elected officials have gotten from gun control and gun rights groups. Let that influence your vote.
Note, too, that although Trump tweeted yesterday about the shooter being “mentally disturbed,” he also revoked an Obama-era regulation that “sought to block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns.” (Side note: We should not let this be an excuse to demonize all people with mental illnesses, which vary greatly in severity and manifestation.)
On the local level, we need to make sure our schools and police departments are working together on protocols to protect our children in the horrific event of a shooter—and that they are taking appropriate action when statements are made by students or others in the community that seem threatening. Law enforcement officers also need to make sure they follow up with school-related online threats (as may not have happened with respect to yesterday’s shooter).
Worth reading today, too, is this piece by an Army veteran on why the “good guy with a gun” response to mass shootings (i.e., arming more people) is a dangerous myth.
And once again, here are some resources I’ve found that shed some light on discussing tragedy with children:
- “Helping Children Deal with Traumatic Events,” from Open Circle, the elementary-school social emotional learning (SEL) program at the Wellesley Centers for Women. The article was first posted in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (I work at the Wellesley Centers for Women, though not in the Open Circle program. I post here as an individual, not on behalf of the organization.)
- “Helping Children Cope with Tragedy Related Anxiety,” from Mental Health America.
- School Library Journal’s list of “Books to Help Kids Cope with Tragedy.”
Hug your kids and loved ones extra hard today.