There’s a Solution to Gun Violence: You

Gun violence is many things—but inevitable isn’t one of them

It’s become a terrible American tradition: in the hours immediately following yet another mass shooting, we watch developments unfold on social media.

The estimated number of victims goes up and down, people speculate on the reasoning behind the shooting, and individual stories from survivors and families of the deceased begin to circulate. We feel helpless, so we scroll through Facebook and Twitter, hoping to make some sense out of the world’s chaos.

But in the last year or so, another new tradition has begun to creep into our post-shooting social media vigils. People have begun to share their despair at the whole sick pageant, in the form of the 2014 Onion story headlined “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens” or this tweet by Dan Hodges:

The frustration, the feeling of helplessness, and the overwhelming sense that this is the new norm is understandable. And it’s made even worse when, as they often are, the shooting is clearly a targeted political attack on a group with little political agency of its own.

Last summer it was a Black church in Charleston, last fall it was a Planned Parenthood in Colorado, and this week it’s a gay nightclub in Orlando during Pride month. These are far too many examples of specific American communities targeted and killed.

When we see someone mark other human beings for death based on who they are, it’s easy to feel despair.

But speaking as a leader of the first successful gun safety initiative to pass by popular vote in modern American history — Washington State’s Initiative 594, sponsored by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, passed in 2014 with 60% of the vote — I can assure you that there is hope.

We’re doing something about it.

It’s easy to fall prey to the sense that it’s always been this way, and that it will always be this way. But that’s not the case. We have had sensible, responsible gun legislation in the (recent) past and we can have it again. In cities and states across the country, good people are taking action to reduce gun violence.

Every great moment of social change was preceded by hundreds of defeats, setbacks, and outright tragedies — often stretched over the course of many years. In the fight for marriage equality, ballot initiatives failed 32 times before love became the law of the land—and it’s still alarmingly, painfully clear that the LGBTQI community faces enormous prejudice and hatred.

Gun responsibility, much like marriage equality, is not a battle that those directly impacted can fight alone. We all need to show up.

This is work that takes all of us, and it takes time. There is not now, nor has there ever been, a magic wand that can resolve social problems for us. It took us decades to get into this mess, so it’ll take patience and perseverance to get out of it.

The first step in the fight to reduce gun violence is acknowledging the problem. The connecting element between all of these high profile tragedies—what makes this toxic hate deadly—is that it is far too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on guns in our country. This week, a columnist in Philadelphia reported that it took her just seven minutes to purchase an AR-15. That’s a problem.

But here’s the thing: acknowledging the problem is not enough.

The second step is to realize what doesn’t work: inaction. As we pray for the victims who have been shot, their families and all of the communities affected, as we attend vigils, we must also act. Thoughts and prayers alone — particularly from our lawmakers — are simply not enough. At this point, words without action is simply empty rhetoric that enables more deadly violence.

The third and most important step is to locate and recognize where you can effect the most change.

The first thing you should do is contact your elected leaders — all of them, from your city councilmembers to your state legislators to your governor and your congressperson. They all need to hear from you. It’s not difficult to do; Nicole Silverberg created a guide back in October.

Next, get involved locally. It’s easy to become frustrated and angry with the inaction of the federal government, because your voice may feel small. But you can make an impact on gun violence within your community.

All around this nation, citizen groups of all stripes — the faith community, student alliances, political organizations — are fighting to enact commonsense gun laws and to band together to make a difference. This November, voters in Maine and Nevada will be able to pass universal background checks into law the way we have in Washington. And the Alliance for Gun Responsibility is bringing Extreme Risk Protection Orders to the ballot in Washington in the form of Initiative 1491.

If you don’t live in one of those states, it’s likely that someone is working to reduce gun violence somewhere near you. Find them and volunteer your time, donate your money, and offer your social capital. Fight against politicians who are in the pocket of the National Rifle Association by joining grassroots efforts, by refusing to become complacent.

Make sure your friends know where you stand on gun violence. Encourage them to join you. Many of us feel overwhelmed by news stories and punditry—but our friends and family can still move us on issues, especially those that are this important.

You’re not going to wake up tomorrow in an America where everyone is safe from gun violence—that’s never been how change happens. You have to fight a little bit at a time, and then one day you’ll look around and see that you’ve made a tremendous difference.

One day, we will see an America that is not in the grips of fear of gun violence — and that will be because of you.

Dwelling on despair and collectively throwing up our hands in disgust just isn’t part of the American spirit. In the end, I believe we will do what Americans do best: stand up and fight for what is right with unrelenting resolve and unwavering resilience. We will take on this challenge because we are all in this together. Our foes will try to separate us through fear and confusion, but we can’t let that happen. We Americans draw strength from our diversity, and it’s together that we will overcome this great shame of our time.

Say it with me: I believe that we will win.