Dear Gun Supporter,
You have the power.
When I was a child, my dad drove me to the mountains each year where he grew up and taught me how to properly use a firearm. He taught me about gun safety. It was important to him that I knew how to defend myself, how to hunt, and how to be a responsible gun owner in the future. He laid a foundation that made sure that I did not fear guns, but respected them. Our family supports the second amendment and we have a mix of political views within our pro-gun family. My own children have been raised with a father who taught them about gun safety.
Mental Health and Guns
A few years ago, we had a family member who suffered a traumatic brain injury. His doctors told us that he was not allowed to drive, shouldn’t have a firearm, and should be monitored with medications. As you can imagine, even with a TBI, removing a gun from the possession of someone who grew up as a responsible gun owner was difficult. We needed to protect our family and our community, as well as our injured and unstable loved one.
Our lives were in very apparent danger, and so was the unknowing public. We went to the police many times and were told that their “hands were tied unless he acted on his threats.” We took out a no-trespass order, which was practically useless. Because of HEPA laws, the police couldn’t do anything even though we had a doctor’s diagnosis and recommendation, Power of Attorney, and legal guardianship. They told us we could hire a lawyer to present it in court and request to have him claimed unfit to possess a firearm, which would not only cost us a lot of money, but put us in more danger. And, there was always the possibility that the firearms would not be removed from his possession.
IS THERE REALLY HELP AVAILABLE?
Now, before you list for me all the things you believe a person can do to prevent anything tragic from happening, I will tell you that we spent countless hours studying, reading, asking questions, and were left stunned at how easy it was for him to acquire another firearm. We had to make sure we protected ourselves by having quick access to our own firearms at all times, just in case. The ONE thing we never had on our side was a regulation that prevented him from making a future firearm purchase, or a law that provided the means to remove the guns he already possessed – even when he was threatening to use them for violence!
Whenever there is a mass shooting, so many people talk about warning signs. I shake my head because no one can or will do anything until a heinous act is already committed. Warning signs mean NOTHING without the power to take action. Who cares about warning signs if no one will ACT on them?
You have the power.
Do you remember this statement in 2012? “Now is not the time to politicize the shooting.”
You’ve had 10 years since Sandy Hook to find and create a solution. TEN years riddled with more mass shootings. The past is done – the time to act is now. The time to talk is when people are listening. We can all agree that children being gunned down in a school, a place of safety and refuge, is unacceptable.
People being shot in churches, stores, and other public safe spaces is unacceptable.
There is no way that we can guarantee this won’t happen again, no matter what laws are in place. We can do better than having students pretend there is a shooter on campus and teach them how to hide, or fight an attacker, or run for their lives. The drills are traumatizing for young students. We should not be telling students to figure out how to be responsible for their own safety at school, or placing that responsibility solely on the teachers, staff, and administrators.
After Sandy Hook, I remember showing up to teach the next day and looking at every unfamiliar adult on campus as a possible threat. I developed a preoccupation with how I could protect my students from an attacker when my focus should have been on educating them in reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Gun supporters need to put pressure on their senators to act now! The right to legally own firearms can be preserved with safety measures to keep them out of the wrong hands. You have the power to call your state representatives. You have the power to support candidates who support sensible gun legislation.
What can THEY do to help save lives?
- Make the background checks mandatory and more comprehensive.
- Increase wait times for purchases.
- Include mental health diagnoses from doctors in the background checks.
- Raise the purchase age to 21, but still allow responsible gun owners to teach, hunt, practice gun responsibility, and proper use with people under 21.
- We have a no-fly list. Create a no-buy list.
- Make a law that forces social media giants to send mental heal red flags to a low enforcement agency if found on their platforms.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, whatever you pass, FUND IT!
These are small measures and any of them can save lives. You have the power. Use it.
Sincerely,
A Gun Supporter