gun violence // safety crisis
what’s going on?
The U.S. has seen a surge of domestic white nationalist and white supremacist terrorism with two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, leaving a total of 29 innocent people dead - the Ohio shooting marks the 251st mass shooting of 2019 in 216 days of this year - USA Today
Gun control bills and legislation exist but are not being signed into law - the current main obstacle is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is stalling the bills in the Senate, but gun control legislation has been repeatedly blocked by Republican Senators and leaders
why is this happening?
On gun legislation:
Republican Senators and leaders have a habit of blocking gun control bills
In 1994, H.R.4296, a law banning assault weapons, was enacted. It remained in effect for ten years, but in 2004, the GOP-controlled and NRA-persuaded Congress allowed the law to expire. The Justice Department and groups on both sides of the gun debate found conflicting results about the law’s efficacy; but it’s easy to look at the recent mass shootings and see the pattern of assault rifles appear (between 1994 and 2004, there was only 1 mass shooting with over 10 deaths, and in the two year period following the law’s expiration, there were 7 such shootings)
In 2013, the bipartisan bill S.Amdt.715 to S.649 was introduced that would require background checks on all commercial sales of guns (as opposed to both commercial and private sales). This proposed amendment was attacked by the NRA who said that senators who voted for it would have their pro- or anti-gun scores affected. The bill didn't pass with a vote of 54:46
Also in 2013, Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposed a bill, S.150, to ban assault weapons, but the bill fell short in the Senate with only 40 votes for it. Republicans criticized the bill as being anti-Second Amendment
In 2016, a bipartisan senate group proposed a ‘no fly, no buy’ bill to block terrorism suspects on the government’s ‘no fly’ list from purchasing firearms. Speaker Paul Ryan stopped the bill from being put to a vote
S.66, which was introduced in the Senate in January 2019, “makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD).” The bill has not had traction since its introduction
On gun-owners’ mentality and the Second Amendment:
Here’s what the Second Amendment actually says: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”
230 years ago when the Second Amendment was created, the main reason America needed regulated militias was because a British threat still loomed over the newly independent United States, and there was no US standing army for defense. The amendment also created a legal way for Amerians to control slaves and enable westward expansion by overpowering native people - both groups who would have been considered a threat to the “security of a free State”
This is an evident contrast from today; with the world’s largest military, how does armed citizenry square up as a legitimate defense method?
Only in 2008, during District of Columbia v. Heller, did the court rule that individuals did have the right to bear arms: "The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home"
But just because the amendment is law doesn’t mean it’s just. In fact, even conservatives like Supreme Court Justice Scalia and John Paul Stevens have voiced their disapproval of the amendment and its interpretation
Here’s what the Second Amendment means as it is written:
The Second Amendment doesn’t refer to the individual or personal right to bear arms - the militia that the Founding Fathers wanted is now the National Guard
The Second Amendment doesn’t guarantee the right to own military-grade assault weapons
The Second Amendment doesn’t guarantee criminals access to weapons
The Second Amendment doesn’t outlaw background checks or gun-free zones
Guns weren’t a common item in each 18th century American household and that the Founding Fathers adopted gun laws such as registration, public carry, and stand-your-ground laws. If gun rights advocates really wanted to honor the Second Amendment and America’s history, they would actually support more gun regulation.
what’s happening now?
In February 2019, Congress passed two bills, H.R.8 and H.R.1112, that would revise and add to background check requirements for firearm transfers. H.R.8 “prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check” while H.R.1112 “revises background check requirements applicable to proposed firearm transfers from a federal firearms licensee (e.g., a licensed gun dealer) to an unlicensed person”
Despite bipartisan support, the bills have not seen any action by the Senate because they have been blocked by Mitch McConnell, prompting the #MassacreMitch. McConnell is facing increasing pressure to cancel the recess for a vote
The only bill that seems to have some traction on both sides is Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsay Graham’s red flag laws, which would allow police with a judge’s consent to take a person’s weapons if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others. The laws are definitely not sufficient and don’t even tackle the root of the problem (guns!), and yet they still might be blocked by McConnell
what can I do?
Vote for candidates that support and propose strong gun control laws! (click here to register to vote)
Auto-tweet Trump every time an American dies of gun violence
Join the Students Demand Action Texting Team to help send off pre-written messages to tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of students
Contact your elected officials!
Call 202-225-3121 to reach Representatives
Call 202-224-312 to reach Senators
Sign a petition:
March for Our Lives petition to call on Congress to pass universal background checks
Everytown petition to demand that Mitch McConnell and Senators pass background checks and other gun control laws
Brady petition to tell Mitch McConnell to call Congress back From recess
Brady petition to demand that Congress ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines
Brady petition to tell senators to pass S.42, the Background Check Expansion Act
Brady petition to tell Congress to fund research on gun violence prevention
Attend a recess rally to show up to senators' district offices to demand action on passing background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag law
Donate!
Everytown for Gun Safety to help place pressure on lawmakers, raise awareness, educate the public, mobilize grassroots supports, and connect and amplify the voices of survivors of gun violence
Brady to help fight against gun violence
some organizations involved:
Everytown for Gun Safety is a “movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities” - their chapters include Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action
Brady is an organization that advocates for gun control and fights against gun violence
social media guide:
Hashtags to use/follow: #GunControlNow, #NeverAgain, #MarchForOurLives, #EndGunViolence, #EnoughIsEnough
Accounts to follow: @cameron_kasky, @Everytown, @MomsDemand, @bradybuzz
Sample posts/stories/profile photos:
more information:
Check out the New York Times article “Where the 2020 Democrats Stand on Gun Control”
Check out this article with infographics on candidates’ views on gun control