We've been talking about gun violence all week long. And toxic masculinity. And racism
Weekly Digest | August 10, 2019
Letter From an Editor
In the wake of last weekend's tragic back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, gun violence has been dominating the headlines and the national conversation. Here at Ms., we wanted to expand the conversation to include a feminist perspective on the ways in which gender, race and a culture of violence are shaping the gun violence epidemic.
This is not new territory for us. Each year, we’ve said the names of the women killed in 1989 at École Polytechnique in Montreal. After the massacre at Pulse, we called on the nation to resist the homophobia, racism and misogyny that was fostering a culture of gun violence. After the San Bernardino shooting, we reflected on the public danger presented by men who commit violence against women at home. After the Las Vegas shooting, we resisted the notion that racist and sexist male mass shooters were “lone wolves.” After Parkland, we celebrated the young women of color leading the charge for an intersectional fight to end gun violence. After the Capital Gazette shooting, we reminded the nation that misogyny kills.
We've been reporting on the interconnectedness of toxic masculinity, racism and a culture of violence for decades. We've long called attention to the ways in which anti-feminism and male supremacy, as well as white supremacy, have fueled a rise in mass shootings. In just our last issue, we noted the danger of a Trumped-up "men's rights" movement that is encouraged by the hateful rhetoric on Capitol Hill. Last spring, we zoomed in on the lethal combination of domestic violence and weak gun laws. Online, we ran a series of eye-opening reports with the Anti-Defamation League last year on the contemporary male supremacy movement, including a quick primer on its intersections with white supremacist and white nationalist violence.
In the pieces below, feminist experts continue to connect those dots. This week, our writers and contributors weighed in on the deadly and dangerous intersections of sexism, racism and gun violence—and insisted on solutions.
"History shows us that women have always been on the front lines, shaping the defining moments of our country," Shannon Watts told me in an interview last year. "Whether it was the Civil Rights movement or even Prohibition, women have been the ones to fight for the future of their families and communities. And it’s no different for the gun violence prevention movement. Women are finding their voices and amplifying those of others to leave this country better than how we found it."
More than a year later, feminists across the nation are still proving her right—and Ms. is still committed to reporting back from that same front line in the fight to end gun violence.
Onward,
Carmen Rios
Managing Digital Editor, Ms.
More Must-Reads from Ms.
What We Know About Last Weekend’s Mass Shootings—and What We Need to Do Next
“The defenders of the status quo—advocates of the firearms industry and the politicians paid to defend it—will tell you that horrific acts of violence like this are beyond our control. This could not be further from the truth.”
The problem is not mental illness. The problem is not violent video games. The problem is a social pathology of aggrieved entitlement and misogyny mixed with white supremacy, aided and abetted by 8Chan and Fox News and Donald Trump and corrupted lawmakers.
Gender Belongs at the Center of the Gun Debate
The 21-year-old Texan charged with the El Paso murders is an avowed white supremacist man. The slain Dayton killer had previously compiled a “rape list” of females he wanted to sexually assault. Both are poster boys of toxic masculinity.
Masculinity and Mass Shootings
While mass shooters typically share some of the same individual traits, we must name toxic masculinity as a factor that is often overlooked in many public discussions about these events.
Activists Fighting to End Sexual and Domestic Violence are Calling for Gun Control
With each incident of mass violence, it becomes more evident that gender-based violence, abuse, oppression and bigotry are inextricably tied. Efforts to prevent these heinous acts require a larger societal commitment to end abuse and oppression in all its forms, particularly at the intersections.
How Federal Research Funding Could Curtail Gun Violence
Federal funding for research on gun violence has faced severe restrictions for more than two decades. This makes it difficult for policymakers to fully understand the problem and create solutions to fix it.
TAKE ACTION: Demand That Mitch McConnell Address Gun Violence
There have been 251 shootings in 2019. And all of them preventable. To say it is time to take action is a massive understatement.
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