Very Real Steps Parents Can Take to Prevent Gun Violence

In light of another school shooting, the conversation has already shifted back to Sandy Hook. It seems to happen after every mass shotting: Las Vegas, Orlando, San Bernardino, Charleston and so many others. Why? Because people on social media wanted to express the sentiment “nothing happened to change our gun laws after Sandy Hook, so nothing will happen now.”

It’s a cynical comparison that is both untrue and an easy out for inaction. As galling as it is to see elected officials send “thoughts and prayers” to victims while simultaneously refusing to engage in any meaningful action to reduce gun violence, it’s even more upsetting to see my fellow citizens throw up their hands and abdicate their own responsibility to help end this uniquely American crisis.

I understand that many people feel overwhelmed, helpless and hopeless—but too often despair turns into inaction. So let me tell you the truth about what has happened since the horrifying shooting at Sandy Hook School in 2012—the story the gun lobby doesn’t want you to hear.

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the organization I founded, has become the largest grassroots army the gun violence prevention movement has ever seen. As part of Everytown for Gun Safety, we have a chapter in every state, 60,000 active volunteers, and 4 million supporters. Since 2013, we’ve helped pass laws to require background checks on all gun sales in seven states. We’ve also helped pass laws in 24 states, red and blue, to keep guns away from domestic abusers.

Much to the gun lobby’s chagrin, we’ve defeated hundreds of pieces of legislation that would force guns onto college campuses and into K-12 schools, expand Stand Your Ground laws, dismantle state permitting standards, and otherwise make Americans less safe. And we’ve convinced iconic American companies like Starbucks, Target, Facebook and more to enact common-sense gun policies as a matter of public safety.

We didn’t achieve these victories overnight. They’re the result of a lot of sustained, focused work by people who decided they’d had enough, rolled up their sleeves, and got involved. So if you are feeling outraged in the wake of the tragedy in Las Vegas—the 162nd mass shooting since 2009—I implore you to channel that outrage into action. There are tangible, effective things you can do right now to make our country safer from gun violence. Here are just a few.

First, call your members of Congress and demand they oppose two dangerous NRA-backed bills that are snaking their way through the legislative process. The first would gut the laws governing purchases of gun silencers. (You read that right: Congress is considering a bill that would make it easier for anyone to buy a device intended to distort the sound of a gunshot.) The other bill involves so-called “concealed carry reciprocity,” dangerous piece of legislation that would gut state’s gun laws, and allow countless people to carry hidden, loaded guns across the country with no background check or gun safety training.

Text REJECT to 64433 to be connected directly to your representatives in Congress and tell them to oppose those bills, and reject the gun lobby’s agenda of guns anywhere, at anytime for anyone—no questions asked.

Second, help us continue to build the momentum that allows us to take on the gun lobby and win. Please visit us at momsdemandaction.org to learn how you can take action at the federal, state and local level, and how you can volunteer with the Moms Demand Action chapter in your area.

Third, Google your state and Congressional representatives and find out how they’re rated by the NRA. If they have an A-rating, ask them why. Do they support allowing domestic abusers to have guns? Do they oppose background checks on every gun sale? Do they think guns belong in schools, bars, daycares and on college campuses? If the answers are yes, vote accordingly. Gun safety must become one of the main issues you vote on in every single election.

Finally, never, ever give in to despair. The gun lobby wants you to be hopeless. They count you to give up. I want you to understand that giving up is not an option. If we want to live in a country where you don’t have to worry about being shot at concert, at the movies, in church, at work or in school, we need to stay the course and fight for a safer nation—no matter what. American kids are counting on us.

I promise you, this is a fight we can win. It’s a fight we must win.

Shannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and a mom of five. She lives in Colorado.