The info is in and gun violence is a significant drawback in the USA. We now have a gun loss of life charge 13 occasions higher than different high-income nations. By early February, extra individuals are killed with weapons within the U.S. than are killed with weapons in different high-income international locations in a complete 12 months, and plenty of extra are wounded and witness gun violence.
All advised, 58% of American adults, together with 68% of Black and Hispanic People, are survivors of gun violence, both experiencing gun violence themselves or caring for somebody who has skilled gun violence of their lifetimes.
Weapons are actually the main explanation for loss of life for American kids and teenagers (ages 0-19). Gun suicide alone claims the lives of almost 24,000 individuals yearly, a tragedy that touches each group, together with ours, and is commonly preventable. That’s a mean of 65 individuals per day. Make no mistake: Our nation’s gun violence epidemic is a public well being disaster.
Gun violence isn’t just a “large metropolis drawback.” It’s affecting each dimension group. Too incessantly does a narrative about one other taking pictures make the headlines in our small-town native papers. There have already been 4 totally different shootings which were reported within the first two months of this 12 months right here within the Tri-Cities.
Again in October final 12 months, a restaurant in downtown Johnson Metropolis needed to finish its late-night meals service as a consequence of security considerations for patrons and workers as a result of so many unruly clients have been pulling out their weapons and threatening individuals.
And these are simply the tales that make it to the media — in contrast to many suicides and home violence incidents. Our quiet, protected group hasn’t felt as quiet and protected within the final a number of years — and our elected state legislators are making us even much less protected.
We should listen, then demand that our state representatives cease passing harmful gun legal guidelines that the majority Tennesseans don’t need, such because the permitless carry legislation handed final 12 months. This new legislation permits anybody to hold a hid, loaded gun in public with completely no coaching and with out a background examine.
Our lawmakers gutted our carry allow system although most Tennesseans supported the present system. Police and sheriff departments throughout Tennessee spoke out in opposition to this invoice, however our lawmakers cared extra about pandering to the extremists than saving lives.
State management is taking us within the flawed course, however there’s a rising group of moms and others within the Tri-Cities space that’s making an attempt to assist get Tennessee again in the fitting course towards common sense, evidence-based security measures and have been for a number of years now.
We’re volunteers with Mothers Demand Motion, a grass-roots motion of moms, fathers, survivors, college students and anybody else who desires to see an finish to gun violence. Yearly in March we maintain an Advocacy Day when a whole bunch of volunteers from all throughout the state meet and discuss with their state lawmakers about what we are able to do to scale back gun violence. This 12 months’s Advocacy Day is March 9. As an alternative of Advocacy Day on the State Capitol, we’re bringing this pressing message on to the individuals.
To be clear, Mothers Demand Motion is just not anti-gun. We’re pro-gun security and anti-gun violence. Many volunteers are gun homeowners themselves. We’re preventing for public security measures that respect the Second Modification and shield our youngsters and family members from gun violence by strengthening our gun security legal guidelines.
Gun violence prevention measures comparable to background checks on all gun gross sales and safe storage legal guidelines are insurance policies that almost all of Tennesseans assist that might save lives.
There are native teams in each state throughout the nation, together with one right here within the Tri-Cities space. If you wish to get entangled or just get knowledgeable on the gun violence prevention work that’s being completed locally to convey an finish to gun violence, you will get related along with your native group.
Textual content JOIN to 644-33, discover native conferences by downloading the app https://momsdemandaction.org/app/ or discover a Mothers Demand Motion occasion close to you at https://momsdemandaction.org/occasions/ .
Sharon M. Brown of Kingsport is a volunteer with Mothers Demand Motion for Gun Sense in America.