Dear America,
How do you keep going? How do you face the day when the world feels increasingly aflame with each tragic shooting that claims innocent lives? I find myself unable to move on anymore. I envy your ability to shrug it off, whether it’s through strength or willful ignorance—I simply can’t muster it any longer.
Each time a deranged individual pulls the trigger—targeting a black man, a police officer, a concert-goer, a student, or a family in a church—I envision who they see through the barrel of their weapon. I see my neighbor laughing as he plays tag with his joyful child at the park. I see my partner, half-asleep and smiling as he prepares for work in the dim morning light. I picture my teenage daughter, who has spent precious time getting ready for a night out with her friends.
Then, I watch them buckle into their cars, blissfully unaware that, somewhere, a man armed with a gun is methodically loading his weapon, driven by fear, hate, and misplaced blame. Through a twisted lens, my neighbor, my husband, my child, are somehow perceived as threats. With chilling detachment, he views them as adversaries in a war, and the gun becomes his tool for erasing what he sees as danger.
One by one, lives are extinguished in a brutal, depersonalized eruption of violence. A 4-year-old girl’s world is shattered as she witnesses her father’s blood pooling around him. A spouse receives the devastating call that their loved one lies lifeless in a morgue. A mother is left reeling as she learns of a shooting at a concert, a nightclub, or a church on a tranquil Sunday morning.
And we, the people, respond with thoughts and prayers, engaging in online debates about gun control for a fleeting moment before returning to our daily lives. Because to many, it’s nothing personal—just another day in America.
I implore you: let’s start taking these shootings personally. With every bullet that pierces the body of an innocent—be it a black man, a police officer, a child dancing, or a family at worship—the risk of your own life being shattered increases. Does that frighten you enough to take action? Then, please, America: DO SOMETHING.
Your thoughts and prayers alone are no longer sufficient. The social media arguments won’t cut it. Pause your day—take ten minutes away from your tasks or errands—and do what you can to protect your neighbor, spouse, or child from becoming yet another victim of senseless gun violence.
Here are some actions you can take:
- Make a Call. Connect with your representative in Congress. Demand support for sensible measures to reduce gun violence, such as universal background checks and restrictions on gun sales to individuals on terrorism watchlists.
- Send an Email. Use your voice to reach out to your representative instead of getting lost in online debates. A few thoughtful words can impact someone who has the power to initiate change.
- Follow the Money and Vote. When you cast your ballot, consider whether the candidates are willing to stand up to the gun lobby and advocate for stricter regulations on firearms. For insights on where funding is directed, check out resources from non-partisan organizations.
Please, take action—do just one of these things—and then continue with your life. Because all our lives depend on it.
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