To All United States Lawmakers
Feb. 22nd, 2018 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marieldraconisIn the wake of the Parkland shooting, I'd like to propose a game. Instead of demanding thoughts and prayers, or action, I instead suggest that anyone responsible for laws in the United States consider this: think of your children, or grandchildren, or nieces or nephews--someone of the right age to be in a school, or a family member who's a schoolteacher. (If you have no one like this, part of the exercise is to imagine someone you care about somehow ending up in a school shooting, so I'll wait while you conceive of a scenario. Maybe this loved one is invited to an awards ceremony at the school?)
Now that you have a loved one who is at a school--convince yourself that they'll be in the next school shooting. Spend all day tomorrow absolutely convinced that he or she is one of the victims. Now, reevaluate your attitude towards gun control knowing that someone you care about (picture their face, their bleeding body, while you think about this) will be the next victim.
If your attitude was "nothing can be done about this"--do you still think so, knowing that someone you love is going to die and that you can do nothing?
If your attitude was "thoughts and prayers", do you trust your god (or gods, or goddess) to save your loved one when you won't lift a finger to save people? (The saying goes "God helps those who help themselves", not "God helps those who sit on their hands")
If your attitude was "more guns in schools," do you trust armed teachers to 1) keep their guns out of the hands of curious students, and simultaneously 2) be able to get to the gun when needed, right away, and not be trapped across the room from it? Or, maybe you're thinking cops with guns in schools--do you trust them to never misinterpret a situation, and, say, shoot a twelve-year-old playing with a toy? Do you trust them with your loved one's life? And either way, armed teachers or cops in schools, will your loved one feel safe, or scared with the ever-present reminder of danger? Shouldn't school be a safe space?
If your attitude was "restrict gun access in X way", would that restriction save your loved one's life? Or at least give him or her a better chance? If not, then what restrictions will? (If you think none will, are you really comfortable with either the "thoughts and prayers" viewpoint, or the "nothing can be done" viewpoint, when you know for certain that the next victim is someone you love?)
I'm not saying I have the answers. I'm just saying that, rather than object to people who nearly died last week, saying they don't know what they're talking about, try putting yourself in their places. Or in the place of the parents of their classmates and family of their teachers, the ones burying loved ones this week.
And vote with the certainty that someone you love will be the next victim, if you can't stop the next school shooting. Because those kids will be.
Now that you have a loved one who is at a school--convince yourself that they'll be in the next school shooting. Spend all day tomorrow absolutely convinced that he or she is one of the victims. Now, reevaluate your attitude towards gun control knowing that someone you care about (picture their face, their bleeding body, while you think about this) will be the next victim.
If your attitude was "nothing can be done about this"--do you still think so, knowing that someone you love is going to die and that you can do nothing?
If your attitude was "thoughts and prayers", do you trust your god (or gods, or goddess) to save your loved one when you won't lift a finger to save people? (The saying goes "God helps those who help themselves", not "God helps those who sit on their hands")
If your attitude was "more guns in schools," do you trust armed teachers to 1) keep their guns out of the hands of curious students, and simultaneously 2) be able to get to the gun when needed, right away, and not be trapped across the room from it? Or, maybe you're thinking cops with guns in schools--do you trust them to never misinterpret a situation, and, say, shoot a twelve-year-old playing with a toy? Do you trust them with your loved one's life? And either way, armed teachers or cops in schools, will your loved one feel safe, or scared with the ever-present reminder of danger? Shouldn't school be a safe space?
If your attitude was "restrict gun access in X way", would that restriction save your loved one's life? Or at least give him or her a better chance? If not, then what restrictions will? (If you think none will, are you really comfortable with either the "thoughts and prayers" viewpoint, or the "nothing can be done" viewpoint, when you know for certain that the next victim is someone you love?)
I'm not saying I have the answers. I'm just saying that, rather than object to people who nearly died last week, saying they don't know what they're talking about, try putting yourself in their places. Or in the place of the parents of their classmates and family of their teachers, the ones burying loved ones this week.
And vote with the certainty that someone you love will be the next victim, if you can't stop the next school shooting. Because those kids will be.
