Another massacre in America.
It feels like we are living in a nightmare—and we should refuse to become numb to it. Instead, we should use our anger and sorrow and demand that our leaders do the things that most Americans support to stop the carnage.
In 1955, Emmett Till—an African American teen—was kidnapped and brutally murdered by White racists.
His mother, Mamie, insisted on an open casket funeral, forcing the world to see the consequences of racism in America.
I have no idea whether being confronted with the very graphic images of mass shootings in America will rouse the kind of reaction that might lead to meaningful change in the same way that Till’s helped further the Civil Rights Movement.
But I believe we owe it to our children to try.
(For more on those graphic images, you can click here to see them on the Connors Forum newsletter.)
It is not radical to say that, nationwide, we should:
Ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines
Enact a 30-day waiting period for all gun sales
Enact red flag laws
Enact better and uniform background checks
Raise the legal age at which people can purchase firearms
Improve our mental health system
I know this is not radical because a majority of Americans support everything on that list. You can read the Gallup surveys yourself.
There is consensus in America on what needs to be done. The problem is not with the citizens, but our leaders.
There is no excuse to wait any longer. Contact your elected representatives and demand a better world for our children.
The best research suggests we can make a serious dent in this problem if our leaders would only implement the reasonable preferences of a majority of Americans.
This week's guest is Dr. Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California-Davis. Wintemute offers his thoughts on how to reduce gun violence.
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Episode Music:
- “Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar (Free Music Archive)
- “Star Blessed Night” by Ketsa (Free Music Archive)
- “Draw the Sky” by Paul Keane (licensed through TakeTones)
- "Hibernation" by Ibi (publicly available on YouTube)
- “Happy Trails (To You)” by the Riders in the Sky (used with artist’s permission)