High school students march against gun violence in Minneapolis, MN.
The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has led to a renewed movement against the “guns everywhere” policy pushed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Republican Party members who receive so much NRA funding. Led initially by surviving students from Douglas High School, but now joined by many other individuals and groups, there are marches, protests, school walkouts, phone calls, emails, campaigns on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and other efforts taking place to safeguard America’s children and adults. The momentum appears to be building and the tide may be turning in favor of steps such as Universal Background Checks for all firearm purchases, a renewed Assault Weapons Ban, and more. But as with all movements, the goals of this movement need to be articulated in a simple and powerful way in order to win over hearts and minds. So the question becomes, what is the best way to describe what this movement is fighting for?
Traditionally, the phrase used to describe the efforts to reign in the reckless NRA/GOP “all types of guns for everyone everywhere” policy has been “gun control.” This term dates back at least to the Gun Control Act of 1968. However, “gun control” is problematic for two reasons: First, “gun control” has a connotation of a Big Government Nanny State, which many people don’t like (that’s of course why Republicans use the term “Obamacare” to describe the Affordable Care Act). Also, “gun control” is often inaccurate, as proposals like universal background checks don’t really control guns, but rather restrict some people from buying them.
One term sometimes used in place of gun control is “gun safety.” This is better, since “safety” is an important value for most Americans. Indeed, some proposals regarding guns, such as trigger locks, biometric grips and lock box requirements for guns and ammunition, literally involve “gun safety.” However, many other proposals involving gun purchases, ownership and usage do not really involve “gun safety.” For example, in the recent Parkland shooting, or other shootings such as Sandy Hook, the semiautomatic “assault rifle” used was legally purchased, and wasn’t somehow rendered unsafe, nor could it have been made more safe. Rather, the problem is that such semiautomatic “assault weapons” are legal in the first place, and/or in some cases, that the person who purchased them underwent no background check, or had a mental illness, history of criminal violence or another issue that should prevent them from being able to purchase any firearm.
So really, the problem is more fundamental than “gun control” or “gun safety.” The real problem is gun violence. America has a gun violence epidemic unique in the world, stemming in part from having so many of the world’s guns. The NRA/Republican policies of having few or no restrictions on the types of firearms that can be sold, and the people who may buy them (even people on the terrorist “No-Fly” list), leads to more gun violence. Democrats and others, in contrast, are putting forth “gun violence proposals,” “legislation to reduce gun violence,” etc.
A similar term currently being used is “gun reform.” Last night, for example, the Broward Democratic Party (the Florida county where Parkland is located) published a Facebook post which read: “Sen. Bill Nelson is fighting hard for common-sense gun reforms.” This term, while less visceral, could be a sometimes substitute for “gun violence proposals.” Nevertheless, the proposals put forth by Democrats, from universal background checks to a renewed Assault Weapons Ban to more affordable comprehensive mental health care (and corresponding requirements that those ruled to have a dangerous mental health problem not be permitted to purchase firearms) all have a common goal: to reduce this gun violence epidemic.
These proposals are gaining in popularity, and we may finally (or once again) get some of them passed. And while we’re at it, we can flip the script on Republicans, by saying that America’s children deserve the “right to life” when they go to school every day, and deserve “freedom” from gun violence.
Photo by Fibonacci Blue, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/5EVJOh
