Indivisible Houston created a cardboard cutout of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ahead of the NRA's annual convention scheduled to take place on May 27, 2022 in Houston, Texas. The sign reads, "I murder teachers and children." (Photo: Indivisible Houston)
It's Simple: If You Don't Support Gun Control, You Support School Massacres
Our lawmakers stand by helpless whenever these tragedies occur because they are at the mercy of their donors.
I drove my daughter to school today.
The gun industry is making billions of dollars off this cycle of gun violence: mass shooting, fear of regulation, increase in sales.
After 51 worshippers were killed in mass shootings at Christchurch and Canterbury in New Zealand in 2019, the government outlawed most military style semiautomatic weapons, assault rifles like AK15's, and initiated a buyback program. There hasn't been a mass shooting there since
In Australia, following a 1996 mass shooting in which 35 people were killed in Tasmania, Australian states and territories banned several types of firearms and bought back hundreds of thousands of banned weapons from their owners. Gun homicides, suicides, and mass shootings are now much less common in the country.
This is not hard.
The rest of the world has cracked the code. Just not us.
Not the U.S.
Guns are the leading cause of death for American children-- 1 out of 10 people who die from guns in this country are 19 or younger.
Firearm deaths are more than 5 times higher than drownings.
But still we do nothing.
There have been 2,032 school shootings in the US since 1970, and these incidents are increasing. We've had 948 school shootings since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
And those who were killed or physically injured aren't the only young people affected by this. Since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, nearly 300,000 students have been on campus during a school shooting.
Imagine what that does to a child.
Imagine what it would do to an adult.
Since Sandy Hook, the only change in policy has been to have lockdowns and school shooter drills in our classrooms. Children have been instructed to throw books at would-be-attackers and cause a distraction so some of them might have a greater chance of escaping.
We're told to buy bullet-proof backpacks, arm school teachers, and have gun-wielding police patrol our buildings--but our lawmakers refuse to do anything about the firearms, themselves.
The gun industry is making billions of dollars off this cycle of gun violence: mass shooting, fear of regulation, increase in sales. Repeat ad infinitum.
We're told that gun control is useless because new laws will just be pieces of paper that criminals will ignore. However, by the same logic, why have any laws at all? Congress should just pack it in, the courts should close up. Criminals will do what they please.
We may never be able to stop all gun violence, but we can take steps to make it more unlikely. We can at least make it more difficult for people to die by firearm. And this doesn't have to mean getting rid of all guns. Just regulate them.
According to the Pew Research Center, when you ask people about specific firearm regulations, the majority is in favor of most of them--both Republicans and Democrats.
We don't want the mentally ill to be able to buy guns. We don't want suspected terrorists to be able to purchase guns. We don't want convicted criminals to be able to buy guns. We want mandatory background checks for private sales at gun shows.
Yet our lawmakers stand by helpless whenever these tragedies occur because they are at the mercy of their donors. The gun industry owns too many elected officials.
In short, we need lawmakers willing to make laws. We need legislators who will represent the overwhelming majority of the public and take sensible action to protect the people of this country.
What we need is real gun control legislation. We need an assault weapons ban. We need to close the gun show loophole. We need buyback programs to get the mountains of firearms off the streets and out of the arsenals of a handful of paranoid "survivalists."
We don't need anyone's thoughts and prayers.
We need action.
And we need it yesterday.
At this point there is simply no excuse.
If you don't support gun control, you support school shootings.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
I drove my daughter to school today.
The gun industry is making billions of dollars off this cycle of gun violence: mass shooting, fear of regulation, increase in sales.
After 51 worshippers were killed in mass shootings at Christchurch and Canterbury in New Zealand in 2019, the government outlawed most military style semiautomatic weapons, assault rifles like AK15's, and initiated a buyback program. There hasn't been a mass shooting there since
In Australia, following a 1996 mass shooting in which 35 people were killed in Tasmania, Australian states and territories banned several types of firearms and bought back hundreds of thousands of banned weapons from their owners. Gun homicides, suicides, and mass shootings are now much less common in the country.
This is not hard.
The rest of the world has cracked the code. Just not us.
Not the U.S.
Guns are the leading cause of death for American children-- 1 out of 10 people who die from guns in this country are 19 or younger.
Firearm deaths are more than 5 times higher than drownings.
But still we do nothing.
There have been 2,032 school shootings in the US since 1970, and these incidents are increasing. We've had 948 school shootings since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
And those who were killed or physically injured aren't the only young people affected by this. Since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, nearly 300,000 students have been on campus during a school shooting.
Imagine what that does to a child.
Imagine what it would do to an adult.
Since Sandy Hook, the only change in policy has been to have lockdowns and school shooter drills in our classrooms. Children have been instructed to throw books at would-be-attackers and cause a distraction so some of them might have a greater chance of escaping.
We're told to buy bullet-proof backpacks, arm school teachers, and have gun-wielding police patrol our buildings--but our lawmakers refuse to do anything about the firearms, themselves.
The gun industry is making billions of dollars off this cycle of gun violence: mass shooting, fear of regulation, increase in sales. Repeat ad infinitum.
We're told that gun control is useless because new laws will just be pieces of paper that criminals will ignore. However, by the same logic, why have any laws at all? Congress should just pack it in, the courts should close up. Criminals will do what they please.
We may never be able to stop all gun violence, but we can take steps to make it more unlikely. We can at least make it more difficult for people to die by firearm. And this doesn't have to mean getting rid of all guns. Just regulate them.
According to the Pew Research Center, when you ask people about specific firearm regulations, the majority is in favor of most of them--both Republicans and Democrats.
We don't want the mentally ill to be able to buy guns. We don't want suspected terrorists to be able to purchase guns. We don't want convicted criminals to be able to buy guns. We want mandatory background checks for private sales at gun shows.
Yet our lawmakers stand by helpless whenever these tragedies occur because they are at the mercy of their donors. The gun industry owns too many elected officials.
In short, we need lawmakers willing to make laws. We need legislators who will represent the overwhelming majority of the public and take sensible action to protect the people of this country.
What we need is real gun control legislation. We need an assault weapons ban. We need to close the gun show loophole. We need buyback programs to get the mountains of firearms off the streets and out of the arsenals of a handful of paranoid "survivalists."
We don't need anyone's thoughts and prayers.
We need action.
And we need it yesterday.
At this point there is simply no excuse.
If you don't support gun control, you support school shootings.
I drove my daughter to school today.
The gun industry is making billions of dollars off this cycle of gun violence: mass shooting, fear of regulation, increase in sales.
After 51 worshippers were killed in mass shootings at Christchurch and Canterbury in New Zealand in 2019, the government outlawed most military style semiautomatic weapons, assault rifles like AK15's, and initiated a buyback program. There hasn't been a mass shooting there since
In Australia, following a 1996 mass shooting in which 35 people were killed in Tasmania, Australian states and territories banned several types of firearms and bought back hundreds of thousands of banned weapons from their owners. Gun homicides, suicides, and mass shootings are now much less common in the country.
This is not hard.
The rest of the world has cracked the code. Just not us.
Not the U.S.
Guns are the leading cause of death for American children-- 1 out of 10 people who die from guns in this country are 19 or younger.
Firearm deaths are more than 5 times higher than drownings.
But still we do nothing.
There have been 2,032 school shootings in the US since 1970, and these incidents are increasing. We've had 948 school shootings since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
And those who were killed or physically injured aren't the only young people affected by this. Since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, nearly 300,000 students have been on campus during a school shooting.
Imagine what that does to a child.
Imagine what it would do to an adult.
Since Sandy Hook, the only change in policy has been to have lockdowns and school shooter drills in our classrooms. Children have been instructed to throw books at would-be-attackers and cause a distraction so some of them might have a greater chance of escaping.
We're told to buy bullet-proof backpacks, arm school teachers, and have gun-wielding police patrol our buildings--but our lawmakers refuse to do anything about the firearms, themselves.
The gun industry is making billions of dollars off this cycle of gun violence: mass shooting, fear of regulation, increase in sales. Repeat ad infinitum.
We're told that gun control is useless because new laws will just be pieces of paper that criminals will ignore. However, by the same logic, why have any laws at all? Congress should just pack it in, the courts should close up. Criminals will do what they please.
We may never be able to stop all gun violence, but we can take steps to make it more unlikely. We can at least make it more difficult for people to die by firearm. And this doesn't have to mean getting rid of all guns. Just regulate them.
According to the Pew Research Center, when you ask people about specific firearm regulations, the majority is in favor of most of them--both Republicans and Democrats.
We don't want the mentally ill to be able to buy guns. We don't want suspected terrorists to be able to purchase guns. We don't want convicted criminals to be able to buy guns. We want mandatory background checks for private sales at gun shows.
Yet our lawmakers stand by helpless whenever these tragedies occur because they are at the mercy of their donors. The gun industry owns too many elected officials.
In short, we need lawmakers willing to make laws. We need legislators who will represent the overwhelming majority of the public and take sensible action to protect the people of this country.
What we need is real gun control legislation. We need an assault weapons ban. We need to close the gun show loophole. We need buyback programs to get the mountains of firearms off the streets and out of the arsenals of a handful of paranoid "survivalists."
We don't need anyone's thoughts and prayers.
We need action.
And we need it yesterday.
At this point there is simply no excuse.
If you don't support gun control, you support school shootings.