Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America began three months ago in response to the Sandy Hook school tragedy. It was our tipping point to demand action against policies in our nation that contribute to the deaths of eight children killed by guns each day.
Our mission isn’t based on emotion, but on common sense and facts.
First, the common sense. Our organization supports Second Amendment rights of all citizens to own firearms. Yet, the first words of the amendment use the term “well regulated,” signifying we were meant to restrict the ownership of firearms to maintain public safety. Indeed, we already do in various forms. It should be our responsibility to regulate guns with guidelines and training measures grounded in common sense. We wouldn’t let Georgians drive cars without education, instruction and registration that protect us from untrained, irresponsible people. We think it’s just common sense to take the same approach with guns.
Now the facts.
• The states with the highest gun-ownership rates are Louisiana (46 percent), Mississippi (54 percent), Alaska (61 percent), Alabama (57 percent) and Nevada (32 percent). They also have the highest rate of gun deaths, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis.
• New York and Chicago, two of the nation’s biggest cities, have tighter gun controls than our own, and the resulting statistics speak volumes. Chicago has 11.6 homicides per 100,000 residents, New York has 4 per 100,000, and Atlanta has a startling 17.2 per 100,000 citizens.
House and Senate leaders in the current Georgia legislative session have been trying to put firearms back in schools, places of worship and universities with something called the Safe Carry Protection Act. Our organization has presented statistics to them that demonstrate how schools and universities have become safer since gun-free zones were put in place. These statistics were ignored.
We heard one House leader say that the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Yet when we sit in church or a college classroom, how will we determine that the person with a gun sitting next to us is a “good guy” or a “bad guy”? How can we be sure that they know how to use their weapon safely and with prudence? The answer is we can’t. Even “good guys” are human beings capable of behaving recklessly and without responsibility under emotional duress or under the influence of alcohol. We have police in charge of our protection who receive comprehensive training to determine when gun use is absolutely necessary. A civilized society cannot be maintained with vigilantism.
Unfortunately, our organization does not have the money or resources of powerful gun lobbies, such as the NRA and Georgia Carry, who literally sit with our legislators and influence these decisions day in and day out. But rest assured — we will not let a small band of special-interest groups drown us out. We will continue to speak out and let our millions of voices be heard for as long as it takes.
