It’s Time For Action（英文）

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Historical April–May 2018 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.

March 2018 After every mass shooting in our country, we have the same conversation about the glaring need for sensible gun legislation.

I feel that there’s not much more that can be said. At least I’m not alone in my frustration and desire for action. Moms Demand Action is an advocacy organization demanding that our elected leaders take action to prevent gun violence.

It was founded after the Sandy Hook massacre and urges stronger gun laws to prevent gun violence everywhere.

While it’s difficult to imagine something more horrible than innocent children killed while attending school, the death of every child is tragic. And our children are dying every day.

According to Moms Demand Action, “Seven American children or teens are shot and killed every day.” Of the 205 homicide victims in St. Louis last year, twenty-four were under the age of 19. So far the solutions from our state and elected officials have been, paradoxically, to increase access to guns.

The gun lobby, and specifically the NRA, has been so strong that politicians wouldn’t dare challenge them. We, as voters, have become complacent, going along with the notion that it isn’t politically safe for our state or federally elected leaders to stand up for gun control.

While emotionally strong, the voices challenging the NRA have not seen that emotional power translate into political power.

But the tide is turning.

A new group of political activists are taking action that seems to threaten the decades-long status quo.

In addition to moms stepping out, our children are issuing warnings of their own to our elected leaders. Students around the country—including right here in St. Louis— walked out of class on March 14 to protest the deaths of their brothers, sisters and friends because of the lack of sensible gun control in this country. Their actions are aimed squarely at the leaders who have failed to protect them.

This up and coming generation of voters is seeing gun violence from a new perspective and are exercising their power.

To them, gun violence is not a partisan issue. It’s a simple failure of adults to address one of the greatest threats to their own lives.

The worst thing we can do to our kids is to normalize violence, to accept it as just the way things are.

We hear about a drive-by, we see the street name isn’t ours, breathe a sigh of relief, and go on with our business.

We witness school shooting after school shooting, wring our hands for a few days, send out thoughts and prayers, and then go about our business. Nothing changes.

As a mother myself, I admire and stand with moms packing school gyms to demand action on guns in the names of the children they love.

There is power there. And now those children are standing up for themselves, taking the lead, and demanding that things change.

It is a warning to our elected officials that the call for action is not going away anytime soon.

Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, April–May 2018.

Read this article in the original newspaper issue.

Original source: SD_Times2018_04.pdf, printed page(s) 8; PDF page(s) 8.