Mayors stand with residents demanding action
Twenty children and six teachers were massacred in an elementary school. Prayers rose to the heavens. Tears flooded our souls. Words inspired hope of change and action. It was not the first or a new type of massacre. It just seemed different.
Sandy Hook was our moment. But, we, as a nation, failed those angels from Sandy Hook, and all the others who died in preventable gun violence since.
We, as a nation, failed the seventeen angels of Parkland. At the vigil last Thursday, 17 life-size angels stood tall on the stage and before a nation as physical images of innocence and love. What most did not know was those very angels had physically stood in Sunrise when the community held a profoundly emotional vigil immediately after the Sandy Hook massacre. How many more times will those physical angels be asked to comfort and act as a symbol of love for massacred children and teachers? As a nation, we allowed this to happen. When a shoe bomber made a failed attempt, we agreed to remove our shoes when traveling. When too many were dying and getting seriously hurt in car accidents, we studied the issue and required seat belts; then we realized lap belts were not enough. Changes were implemented not because any single reform would stop every injury or death, but because logical changes saved lives. Seat belts don’t stop someone from driving a car into a crowd or acting recklessly, but it was a reform to save lives and prevent injuries.
Yet, from Columbine to Parkland, from theaters to churches, from parks to living rooms, the deaths and injuries from gun violence mount and get worse. No longer can we stand silent.
Reform must come from Tallahassee and Washington, not because we, as local mayors, are scared of reform or that we don’t know what could be done. Florida law prohibits mayors and city commissions from implementing any sensible reforms. If a city commission passes an ordinance regarding guns or ammunition, the law forcibly removes them from office; requires them to personally pay the legal costs of the industry group that seeks to overturn the reform, no matter how many of our residents demanded the reform; imposes a $5,000 fine personally; and, the law is invalidated anyway. This draconian pre-emption punishes a mayor not for doing something morally wrong or even legally wrong in any classic sense. Florida law punishes for action demanded by our residents. What do we do? Our first step is to recognize that every argument against and every barrier erected to prevent sensible gun law reform is the generated to protect an industry focused on dollars and cents, not the safety of our loved ones. Then, we need community action to vote out of office those who refuse to support sensible reforms, and rise up to protect those who speak out to make a difference. Finally, we, as a community, must unshackle ourselves from the illogical bonds that any single common sense reform is acceptable only if it would have stopped every massacre, death, or injury. We didn’t require that for seat belts or protecting our nation from terrorism.
We, as mayors, know there are smart and reasonable reforms supported by our residents.
We, as a community, must act now for the angels of Parkland.
Mike Ryan is the mayor of Sunrise. Skip Campbell is the mayor of Coral Springs.