Today marks the sixth anniversary of the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children and seven adults (including the shooter) dead. Are we making progress towards ensuring such a tragedy never happens again?
By many measures, no. After the Newtown shooting was Charleston. And Pulse. And Las Vegas. And Parkland. And Pittsburgh. And many, many more. 2017 was the deadliest year on record for mass shootings in the U.S., and there have been at least 89 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2018, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
We have a president who rails against the dangers of violent immigrants while ignoring the danger already within our borders and committed by U.S. citizens. We should not despair, however. There has been some progress, although it is slow and far from enough. This year, state legislatures passed 69 gun control, more than any other year since the Newtown massacre, and more than three times the number passed in 2017, reports the New York Times. The NRA may be feeling the effects of the negative attention—though perhaps not as much as we might think.
That means we need to keep the pressure on. Here are some ways to do so:
- Everytown offers “7 Actions You Can Take to Prevent Gun Violence,” and other gun control organizations share their own ideas as well. MomsRising also has a Gun Safety section. Donate to their work if you can.
- Write to or call your members of Congress about restricting the sale and use of assault rifles (the AR-15 assault rifle or similar weapon has been used in the vast majority of recent mass shootings) and silencers, and enforcing stronger background checks. Check how much your elected officials 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.
- 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).
- We also need to learn to recognize, and teach our children to recognize, signs that may indicate another child could be planning a shooting or other serious threat, as the Sandy Hook Promise group tries to convey through its new video and app. This is a tricky area, though, easily misused by bullies against children who in fact pose no threat, and perhaps stigmatizing those with non-violent mental health issues. Thoughtful and compassionate training here is critical.
No one should have to fear that school is an unsafe place. May we all work together to achieve this vision.
