Hollywood gets no pass here, either. While major
studios have weighed in on war and politics and racism and every other
societal ill, they continually perpetuate and glorify gun violence and
vigilantism, even while their fans are gunned down in theaters. But are
we boycotting? No. They dish it out and we keep on buying it.
I am an activist. I have had four incidences of gun
violence affect my life. My little brother, at seven years old, was shot
in the head by a troubled teenager down the street, and has had to live
with the fallout of traumatic brain injury and PTSD. My best friend was
shot five times by the father of her children, and lives with a body
full of shrapnel. At fourteen years old, I witnessed my neighbor commit
suicide by gun right in front of my house. Two years ago, my husband’s
childhood best friend, a police officer, was shot and killed in the line
of duty, along with his partner, by a maniac wielding an assault rifle.
I do not live in a third world country. I didn’t grow up in Afghanistan
or Somalia. I grew up in the very suburban San Fernando Valley in
California. But I am not sheltered. I don’t have the luxury of thinking
that gun violence is something that happens to other people. I know it
can happen to any one at any time, and I don’t want it to happen to you.
After every shooting, I watch the news, the talking
heads, the politicians who make their media appearances and send their
“thoughts and prayers” tweets out, and still nothing gets done because
we all sit comfy in our homes, pointing the finger of blame at them. But
while we are pointing our fingers at Congress, there are three fingers
pointing back at ourselves. If we were so upset about Sandy Hook, why
didn’t we show up at the polls to vote out those NRA-backed politicians?
Last year our voter turnout for midterm elections was the lowest in
seventy years, and most of those who showed up to vote were
conservatives who favor gun rights. As a result, we got more NRA-backed
politicians voted in to office.
Every week, my friends post articles and memes
decrying the horrors of American gun violence. In response, I post
simple things they can do to prevent gun violence, like signing a
petition or making a 1-minute call to Congress. But these action posts
get little to no comments, very few clicks, and almost no shares. The
truth is that as 33,000 people are dying every year from gun violence,
very few Americans take any action at all.
We’ve gotten lazy, America. If Martin Luther King
were alive during this generation, and the civil rights movement were
happening right now, would you show up to march, or would you just
“like” his facebook call to action, repost a few memes, express your
outrage about racism in a tweet or facebook post, and call it activism?
Congress didn’t make change happen during the Civil Rights Movement. The
people did. Where are the people today?
For far too long, the work of gun violence prevention
has been on the shoulders of the grieving parents of murdered children,
and those who have survived being shot. This is not their issue alone.
This is not an inner city issue. It’s not a racial issue or a
gang-related issue. Gun violence is an American issue, and if it hasn’t
touched you directly yet, unless we do something about it, it soon will.
Brave New Films recently did a PSA pointing out that
between 2001 and 2013, over 400,000 people have been killed due to gun
violence. That’s equivalent to ten terrorist attacks EVERY YEAR. It’s
more than one hundred thirty-five 9/11’s. We are at war with ourselves,
and we are far more deadly than any terrorist. See video here:
https://www.facebook.com/bravenewfilms/videos/10153051431607016/
Are we okay with this? Are we going to accept this as “just the price we pay for our 2nd amendment rights”?
Albert Einstein said it himself: “The world is a
dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but
because of the people who refuse to do anything about it.”
TAKE ACTION:
Here are three simple actions you can take right now
to help prevent gun violence. You can click on one, or just keep
scrolling. It’s up to you.
Sign up here for a weekly email of three things you can do to prevent gun violence: http://wagv.org/get-involved/
Join a gun violence prevention group in your state. Find one here: http://www.ceasefireusa.org/page/join-state-affiliate
Make sure your House Rep supports Universal
Background Checks on all gun sales! HR 3411 expands background checks on
all gun sales and stops criminals from getting guns online or at gun
shows. The list of co-sponsors for HR 3411 is here: http://ow.ly/T8rWC
. If your Representative is on the list, thank them. If not, remind
them that 90% of Americans support expanding background checks – and if
they don’t represent the people by supporting this bill, they don’t get
your vote.
Thank you for doing your part to change the culture of gun violence.
