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I was in the fourth grade when
Sandy Hook happened. There are
some memories that remain vivid
even as the days, months and years
of your life start to mush together.
Sandy Hook is a vivid memory for me,
despite being a 10-year-old living 800
miles away.
There are no words to describe the
pain and horror you feel when your
fourth grade teacher tells you that a
group of elementary students, just
like yourself, have been murdered
in their classroom. Even if it is
presented using more kid-friendly
vernacular, you can’t mask the
gruesomeness of someone killing 26
people. I can still almost hear the kids
in my class crying upon hearing the
news that day. I still see the pictures
of the victim’s faces projected on the
whiteboard. I still feel the paper I was
holding — a letter from our principal
that we were told to take home to
our parents, assuring them that
our elementary school would take
necessary safety measures, that their
children would not be murdered.
Most of all, I remember so many
people saying “never again” — and I
remember believing them. Because
I was in fourth grade, and fourth-
grade students are supposed to be
worried about what type of dessert
their mom packed for lunch and
passing their math test on division,
not getting shot during class.
It’s been almost ten years since
Sandy Hook. It’s been ten years
since the politicians proclaimed
“never again” and promised to do
something to protect us. Yet, on May
24, 2022, a gunman murdered 19
students and two teachers at Robb
Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas,
robbing these bright, joyful kids of
their futures. Now, as the country
mourns alongside Uvalde while they
cope with this indescribable loss,
the urgency for common-sense gun
control seems more vital than ever.
Gun violence is ultimately a
public health epidemic — one that
disproportionately
affects
young
people and people of Color. In fact,
firearms are the leading cause of
death for American adolescents.
Black children and teens are 14 times
more likely to die from gun homicide
compared to white children of the
same age. White supremacists, often
radicalized by right-wing media, have
repeatedly committed mass shootings
targeting people of Color. These
hate crimes undoubtedly become
much deadlier when the perpetrator
has access to firearms. Targeted
attacks evoke constant psychological
distress for marginalized groups,
especially since white supremacists
can easily acquire firearms legally
in America. It is also important to
remember that mass shootings only
encompass a fraction of the victims
of gun violence — which also include
deaths from suicides, accidents,
domestic violence, murders and other
instances.
These high rates of gun violence
are a uniquely American problem.
The U.S. gun homicide rate is 25
times that of other high-income
countries, such as Canada, Japan and
Spain. Nearly every American in their
lifetime will know someone who is a
victim of gun violence. So why is gun
violence synonymous with America,
and how has it become an “American
issue?” While conservatives will try
to pin mass shootings on violent video
games, a decline in traditional family
values or mental health problems,
it is imperative to remember that
all
industrialized
countries
are
facing similar issues — except these
countries don’t have an absurd
amount of guns in circulation with
weak forms of gun control in place.
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact number
of privately owned guns in America
without a federal database, but there
are an estimated 390 million guns in
the U.S. This number is likely higher
due to the increase in gun sales
during the COVID-19 pandemic, but
the research is clear: More guns lead
to increased gun homicides.
With a major source of the
problem — the number of guns and
little regulation — being so clear,
it is frustrating to see the lack of
legislative reform on the federal level,
especially when it has been shown
at the state level that gun laws work.
States with strong gun reform in
place have seen less gun violence, and
those without basic gun protection
laws in place have an almost tripled
amount of gun deaths compared to
those that do.
Gun reform can take many shapes.
One of the most popular solutions is
implementing universal background
checks
for
firearm
purchases,
directly
closing
the
Charleston
loophole which allows gun sales
to proceed after three days, even if
the background check has not been
completed. This alone is predicted
to reduce firearm deaths from 10.3 to
4.46 per 100,000 people. Additionally,
many policymakers have implored
the idea of banning assault weapons
and bump stocks, which make mass
shootings
significantly
deadlier.
There is also sufficient evidence that
supports mandating gun licenses,
which would require gun owners to
obtain a permit before purchasing
a gun. In Missouri, the elimination
of their permit to purchase law led
to a 25% increase in gun homicide
rates. Congress should also lift the
funding restrictions on gun violence
research. Based on mortality rates
alone, gun violence research should
have received $1.4 billion in federal
research funds. However, due to the
National Rifle Association-backed
legislation, the Center for Disease
Control and other federal agencies,
gun violence research only received
$22 million, 1.6% of the projected
amount. Thousands of studies are
waiting to be conducted to find the
most effective forms of gun reform,
yet they will never come to fruition
due to the limited budget allocated by
Congress.
Since Sandy Hook, my childhood
can be marked by a long string of
seemingly
never-ending
school
shootings. I have had normalized
conversations with my teachers and
peers about what we would do if a
gunman came into our classroom
and tried to kill us. In my sixth-grade
history class, my teacher told us
during our active shooter drill that
the best place to hide was behind
the trifold presentation boards we
made earlier in the semester. In
my 10th-grade chemistry class, my
teacher told us to throw glass beakers
at the gunman. And in my 11th-grade
band class, my instructor told us that
our instruments might be able to
deflect bullets. The practice was so
ingrained in me, I had to step back
and realize that only in America are
students taught how to optimize
school supplies as weapons of self-
defense.
Despite all this “training,” I still
don’t feel any safer going to school.
What would make me feel safer is gun
control — because it’s proven to work.
Countries like Britain, Australia,
Canada, New Zealand and Norway
had mass shootings, proceeded to
tighten their gun laws and saw a sharp
decrease in gun violence. And the
majority of U.S. voters are in favor of
it. That’s why, like many Americans,
I am so angry at the clear disconnect
between voters and legislators that is
leading to a major gap in necessary
gun restriction policy. I’m angry
that, despite shooting after shooting,
Republican politicians block gun
control to sell out American lives
for NRA donations. I’m angry at
establishment
Democrats,
who
fundraise off these massacres only
to readily give up when Republicans
refuse to comprise. How many people
have to die, how many shootings have
to occur, for gun reform to become a
priority for politicians?
If the events that transpired in
Uvalde, Texas are anything like
the others, the media will move on,
politicians will move on and, unless
the Senate can come to a bipartisan
agreement on gun control, Americans
will be left without any substantive
reform. But I urge you not to feel
hopeless — the NRA wants you to
become jaded and compliant. In fact,
Peter Ambler, political director at the
gun control advocacy group Giffords,
said, “One of the broader barriers (to
gun reform) is hopelessness, which
is the NRA’s chief political product
… they use hopelessness to stymie
progress.” So as the others move on
from Uvalde and countless other
mass shootings go unreported, I
urge you to support communities
affected by gun violence, remember
the victims and fight for gun reform.
I urge you to fight to fix this broken
political system that halts progress
and allows for these mass shootings
to happen over and over again.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
6 — Wednesday, June 15, 2022
The children who grew up in a generation of school
shootings have grown up. And we demand gun reform
ABBY SCHRECK/TMD
MAYA KOGULAN
MiC Columnist