A few weeks ago I “liked” a Facebook page called “Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.” Some might call that “slacktivism,” but for me it is something more. Seeing the page’s offerings in my news feed is educating me, informing me, encouraging me to do something. This post right here? It’s something I can do. Me, a mom, most likely just like you, a mom, but I am using my voice to talk about something important to me — gun violence.
The thing is, ladies, we have mad power. Mad power. We vote. We influence. We care for the next generation, shaping their sense of the world. We hold our children each and every time another mass shooting makes its way into the headlines. We try and explain how and why scary people come into schools and shoot children. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough.
Here is what Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is advocating:
1) Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
2) Require background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases.
3) Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF, and ban online sales of ammunition.
4) Make gun trafficking a federal crime with serious criminal penalties.
5) Counter gun industry lobbyists’ efforts to weaken gun laws at the state level.
(Courtesy of the Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America website.)
This makes sense to me. This makes sense to 90% of Americans. Sadly, it doesn’t make sense to our politicians.
Owning a gun in America is a constitutional right. This call for a more common sense approach to gun sales and legislation is in no way, shape, or form seeking to limit the rights of Americans to own guns. What is it they say — some of my best friends are gun owners? Yeah, that’s it. Some of my best friends are gun owners. To each his own, you know?
Here is the deal, moms. We are strong. We are powerful. We have a voice. Use your voice. Better yet, gather our voices. Demand change. Call your politicians. Talk to your school staff. Talk to your neighbors. Read, educate, learn.
What is happening, repeatedly, is unacceptable. Something needs to change. More guns is not the answer. Politicians are under the thumb of who knows what. They shake their heads in sympathy, but not empathy. Yes, of course, how sad to lose a child to random gun violence. But that sympathy is quickly forgotten. Harder to forget is what happens when we truly empathize with the parents of children taken too soon by a bullet. Imagine that anguish. Imagine packing up clothes that will never be worn again, toys that will never be played with again, shoes that will never be tied again, books that will never be read again. Empathy is an entirely different beast than sympathy, and wholly more powerful.
If you are reading this and you are a mom, you have the power to influence this national discussion. You. Yes, you. You in the yoga pants and unwashed hair. You, running late after work, stopping for a rotisserie chicken to feed the kids. You on that soccer field, chilly and wet in the rain. You have the power to influence this national discussion.
That is some powerful shit, my friends.
You are a mom, an influencer, a nurturer, a voter. Do your thing, Mama. Do your thing.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America provides lots of ways to start. Easy, simple methods. Their website provides instructions on how to email, tweet, or call our elected officials. There are social media tools to use to enlist the help of other moms. You can even work with or establish a local chapter. How cool is that?
Know that there is something more you can do than comfort your confused and scared child. You are a mom, you are powerful, and you can help.
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Mary Tyler Mom 