Chants from protests for gun control in front of the NRA convention and elsewhere, May 2022 onwards
On May 27, 2022, a large protest for gun control, estimated to be about 4,000 people, was held in Houston, in a park opposite the center where the NRA was holding its convention. The protest was held in the wake of the tragedy at Uvalde, just three days prior and only 300 miles away, in which 19 children and 2 teachers were murdered at an elementary school, and also following deadly mass shootings in Buffalo, Laguna Woods, and many other places. Other protests were held across the country.
In this post, I’m presenting transcriptions of the chants by their political framing (per sociologists Robert Benford and David Snow): diagnosing the problem (including identifying who should take the blame and responsibility), prognostic (proposing solutions), and mobilizing for action. (For a presentation of the chants at the NRA protest in the order that they happened, click here. For chants from the March for Our Lives protests of June 11, 2022, click here.) They are presented in staff notation, to give a feel for the rhythm, pitch, and accent pattern. If they are in a call-and-response pattern, the caller’s text is below the staff and the crowd’s response is in the above the staff.
The chant that seemed to be getting the most traction was, “Vote them out!”
Diagnosing the problem
“Protect kids, not guns”
“Guns kill kids”
“Lives over profits”
“No guns /save our children”
“We need legislation, not your thoughts and prayers”
“We need” “legislation”
“We need legislation. When do we need it?” “Now!”
Assigning blame and responsibility
“Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids have you killed today” is a rephrasing of the anti-Vietnam War chant, “Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today.” This chant could be versioned to name specific politicians, political parties, or other organizations; e.g., “Hey, hey, GOP, how many kids have you killed today?”
“Ted Cruz? Asesino!” “Asesino!” [Murderer]
“Ted Cruz es un asesino. Greg Abbot es un asesino.”
[Ted Cruz is a murderer. Greg Abbot is a murderer.]
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, the NRA has got to go!”
“Stop NRA!” “NRA’s not welcome here”
“Blood on your hands”
“The blood is on your hands”
“NRA, go away”
“NRA, shame on you”
“Shame on you”
“Shame!”
“Shame on you,” “Shame on NRA”
And to legislators, government officials, gun associations, corporations, and individual citizens:
“Don’t look away”
“Do not turn your head”
Proposing solutions:
“Protect our kids, not the guns”
“Protect kids, not guns”
“No more assault weapons”
“Ban the guns, not our books” or “ban guns, not books”
“Restrict the guns, not our bodies”
“Restrict our bodies, not our guns” (ironic version)
Mobilization
“Power, power, power to the people”
“Enough is enough”
“Not one more!”
“Tell me what you want, what you really want” “Justice!”
“No justice, no peace”
“All children matter”
While certainly pertinent to the issue of guns and school shootings, the chant, “All children matter” might have a negative tinge for some people: it could remind them of the chant, “All lives matter,” which is seen as a refusal of the chant, “Black lives matter.”
“I’ve had enough”