Pa. needs policy, courage, not thoughts, prayers
It’s become as customary as it is sickening
— a predictable response to every tragic loss of life, the post about thoughts and prayers following every one of our nation’s mass shootings. We are also met with the customary excuse regarding discussions about solutions, told by leaders not to politicize mass shootings.
Unfortunately, the United States is victim to so many preventable shootings, using that logic, we’ll never have time for a conversation; both Mother Jones and the Violence Project maintain mass shooting databases. Our political discourse will literally be caught in the crossfire between murdered children and slaughtered attendees at houses of worship.
Following the deadly shooting in Uvalde, the satirical website the Onion laid bare the shameful history of our country’s inaction.
The website posted an article “‘No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens” and dedicated the entire site to every version of that article that has been posted following mass shootings since 2014.
It was a sobering reminder of how truly pathetic our collective response to gun violence in this country has been and how regularly we fail to make any meaningful change.
Two things are clear: We are the only industrialized country in the world with this degree of gun violence, and it is a tragedy entirely of our own making.
Here’s how we can save lives and strengthen public safety:
First, we need to remove weapons of war from civilian ownership. The AR-15, the weapon of choice for many recent mass shootings, was designed by its owner to have “maximum wound effect.” The rifle fires military grade 5.56 rounds that break apart upon entry, shredding tissue, organ and flesh and creating large wound cavities. It’s been referred to as the “perfect killing machine.”
That’s why authorities in Uvalde asked grief-stricken parents for DNA samples, because the bodies of their children were so mangled, they couldn’t be identified. These weapons not only endanger citizens, they make the jobs of those tasked with protecting us even deadlier.
According to the Center for American Progress, 43% of police officers fatally shot in Pennsylvania between 2005 and 2014 were killed with long guns, which include rifles such as the AK-47 and AR-15.
No right is absolute; you can’t falsely shout fire in a crowded theater, and you don’t need a deadly rifle designed to destroy human bodies to defend yourself.
Second, we need to ban the purchase of body armor for private citizens. Body armor once again puts law enforcement at a disadvantage when attempting to subdue attackers and increases the likelihood that a shooter can inflict greater damage.
The Buffalo shooter wore body armor, which enabled him to survive a direct gun shot by a security officer before killing that officer. This armor is intended for the military to improve the survivability of our troops. According to the Violence Project, more and more shooters are using body armor. Possession of this armor should be strictly limited to public safety professionals.
Third, high-capacity magazines, those defined as holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, should be prohibited. These magazines do nothing to contribute to personal security, but impact public safety. Mass shootings involving high-capacity magazines lead to 14 times as many people being shot and wounded per incident.
Fourth, not all gun deaths are mass shootings; there are many tragic deaths and homicides that could be prevented. Fifty-four percent of all gun deaths are suicides, and Pennsylvania should pass a law creating extreme risk protection orders through which police or family would remove firearms from the presence of people who might harm themselves or another. Connecticut’s extreme risk protection order system reduced suicides by over 13%.
For every 10-20 guns removed, one life is saved because of extreme risk protection orders. It is also important that we allocate more for mental health services and substance abuse treatment for individuals experiencing crisis.
Fifth, mandate the reporting of lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement and universal background checks.
These policies might be made in the halls of Harrisburg, but the organizing for change needs to start in small towns, suburbs and cities around the state. They need to be the new litmus test for leaders who offer their thoughts and prayers, but stop short of courage and policy.
We need a coalition of concerned parents, pro-public safety advocates and sensible gun owners to demand real action from our leaders and tolerate nothing short of actual legislation.
We must hold accountable those who refuse to embrace commonsense reforms and put the lives and safety of our citizens above campaign contributions and the gun lobby.
Failure to act by leaders is nothing short of cowardice and capitulation to a crazed and radical fringe gun culture that turns a blind eye to slaughter of our citizens and massacring of our children. Real freedom is the freedom from fear that your office, school or church could be next.