2024 is ending with a bang. Literally. Which is why we must reduce gun violence. No matter what your political affiliation, ethnicity, level of education or income, I think we can all agree that 2024 has been turbulent and stressful. We only have 2 weeks left and the hope that we likely all share is that these 2 weeks would be a peaceful end of the year and transition into 2025.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. Yesterday’s shooting in Madison was horrifying but not surprising, which is possibly the saddest statement I can make. Sadder still, is that it was preventable.
If State gun laws were different, parents in Wisconsin would not be spending the holidays helping surviving children deal with physical and mental trauma and for two devastated families…dealing with unthinkable tragedy and grief. We often forget when these horrific shootings happen, that teachers are victims too. Our country has turned being a teacher into a high risk job.
There are so many horrendous things going on in the world, so many senseless acts of violence, so many victimized people. I know it’s difficult to take it all in and process it. If you keep up with current events, then you are served tragedy on a daily basis. It can desensitize even the most compassionate of us. And yet, we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the very disastrous truth in this country. Guns are the #1 cause of death of children in America.
We may not be able to end this year fixing every problem in the world. However, we can commit to fixing one problem. With life-saving laws, like safe storage requirements, and ghost gun bans, we can eliminate most opportunity to obtain or create a weapon, and prevent both gun homicide and suicide. These are not anti-gun measures designed to take guns off the market. I am talking about the kinds of minimal safety measures that keep minors and other potential shooters from obtaining weapons that will harm you, your children or themselves.
I can’t promise you that your support will end all gun violence. What I can promise is that we are on the front lines of this fight. The fight to keep our children alive while attending school, or places of worship, or even the mall. I wish this job didn’t exist. I wish it wasn’t needed. Our goal at SUPGV is to get every single State to a place with their gun laws where one day in the future, my job will be obsolete.
Help me get us there. Donate to States United to Prevent Gun Violence and be a part of the work we are doing in partnership with each State to pass the kinds of basic gun laws that would have prevented the shooting in Wisconsin. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can ensure a better future. Our lives depend on it!
Thank you for joining our movement to end gun violence.
