Lucas Salaberry, Grade 12
UWCRBC
“Not one more”: a chant that is heard in El Paso, in Littleton, in Parkland, and even within the walls of my own school. Across the country of the United States, millions have stood up for the thousands of children’s lives lost at the hands of guns. Across the country, constituents are speaking out against the pipe dream that we are safe and guns aren’t the problem, a phrase continually voiced by politicians and organizations. In one year alone (2021) there were 93 school shootings in the US, yet not one gun control federal bill passed.
Although people are outraged, it is clear that despite these events, lives lost are not a justification to put aside personal freedom or corporate interests. This has been true until there reaches a point where this noise can’t be ignored, which after the Uvalde, TX elementary shooting killing 21 students and staff, pushed congress to pass a monumental gun control law into effect. As a result of bipartisan discourse and interests, for the first time in more than 30 years, congress will implement harsher federal background checks and school mental health support and eliminate loopholes which allow for firearm ownership.
This legislation is not an “end all be all” solution because it truly doesn’t tackle all of the complexities within firearm ownership in the US, ranging from what types are available and the barriers to purchase (age and vendor). But, it is still progress which many families should be proud of. Breaking down why gun control progress has been so stagnant, it really boils down to arguments based on historical precedence and backed by institutional powers (eg. National Rifle Association). By paying millions of dollars to campaigning politicians, the NRA secures an ally in office.
Rhetoric and culture are at the core of how these views, polarizing compared to other Western counterparts, stay afloat. Anti Hillary campaigns funded by the NRA during the 2016 presidential elections were rooted in the idea that people’s guns will be taken, and so will their freedoms. One of the most prominent messages heard continuously is from the CEO of the NRA proclaiming, “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”.
I believe that if the current bill that was passed shows anything, the only way to fight rhetoric is with even more effective rhetoric. It has come to the point that more people experiencing the impact of gun violence doesn’t result in change if it isn’t leveraged to impact other people’s own personal narratives. This may be seen as disheartening, but this country must be confronted with the hard truth so that tomorrow, another headline isn’t seen.
1 https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/us/texas-iowa-school-safety-funding/index.html
2 https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/25/uvalde-school-shooting-victims/
3 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61919752
4 https://www.npr.org/2012/12/21/167824766/nra-only-thing-that-stops-a-bad-guy-with-a-gun-is-a-good-guy-with-a-gun
Photo Credit: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/12/us/uvaldeschoolshootingvideo/index.html
Although people are outraged, it is clear that despite these events, lives lost are not a justification to put aside personal freedom or corporate interests. This has been true until there reaches a point where this noise can’t be ignored, which after the Uvalde, TX elementary shooting killing 21 students and staff, pushed congress to pass a monumental gun control law into effect. As a result of bipartisan discourse and interests, for the first time in more than 30 years, congress will implement harsher federal background checks and school mental health support and eliminate loopholes which allow for firearm ownership.
This legislation is not an “end all be all” solution because it truly doesn’t tackle all of the complexities within firearm ownership in the US, ranging from what types are available and the barriers to purchase (age and vendor). But, it is still progress which many families should be proud of. Breaking down why gun control progress has been so stagnant, it really boils down to arguments based on historical precedence and backed by institutional powers (eg. National Rifle Association). By paying millions of dollars to campaigning politicians, the NRA secures an ally in office.
Rhetoric and culture are at the core of how these views, polarizing compared to other Western counterparts, stay afloat. Anti Hillary campaigns funded by the NRA during the 2016 presidential elections were rooted in the idea that people’s guns will be taken, and so will their freedoms. One of the most prominent messages heard continuously is from the CEO of the NRA proclaiming, “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”.
I believe that if the current bill that was passed shows anything, the only way to fight rhetoric is with even more effective rhetoric. It has come to the point that more people experiencing the impact of gun violence doesn’t result in change if it isn’t leveraged to impact other people’s own personal narratives. This may be seen as disheartening, but this country must be confronted with the hard truth so that tomorrow, another headline isn’t seen.
1 https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/29/us/texas-iowa-school-safety-funding/index.html
2 https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/25/uvalde-school-shooting-victims/
3 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61919752
4 https://www.npr.org/2012/12/21/167824766/nra-only-thing-that-stops-a-bad-guy-with-a-gun-is-a-good-guy-with-a-gun
Photo Credit: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/12/us/uvaldeschoolshootingvideo/index.html
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