Steven’s note: You know in your heart if this applies to you or not. If you are truly doing the best and most you can do, then this does not apply to you at all.
Despite two-thirds of Americans supporting greater gun control, SCOTUS just threw out — or at least threw into question — decades worth of gun control laws.
To all of those who have stayed quiet:
Every time you chose to be "non-political," you chose this outcome.
Every time you only said "what a tragedy" after a mass shooting and "did not want to make it political," you chose this outcome.
Every time you did not think it wasn’t worth objecting to the right-wing appointees to SCOTUS, you chose this.
We knew the NRA wanted this outcome. They’ve been transparent about sacrificing kids for guns. At least the ammosexuals will (usually) admit that they are willing to accept the deaths of children and innocents so that they can have their precious firearms.
You, however, want to pretend that you are innocent. You, however, want to pretend that you are not responsible.
Lie to yourself all you want.
But your lies are not convincing me.
Because make no mistake, your silence has allowed this to happen.
You buried your head in the sand. You did not want to rock the boat. You did not want to upset your relatives. You did not want to annoy your "friends". You decided your words would "not change anyone’s mind," so you just stayed quiet.
You made rationalizations — you lied to yourself — giving fancy excuses why your silence was better than saying anything.
Why your comfort was more important than someone being murdered.
There were 647 mass shootings in the US in 2022. We are on track to have more than that this year.
We now have survivors of mass shootings who have survived prior mass shootings.
Over two thirds of Americans support gun control laws.
Yet, somehow the NRA and right-wing extremists seem to have no problem getting what they want. NRA officials, the politicans they’ve flat-out bought, all the gullible and foolish and selfish who support them … they all get to go about their lives in blissful peace with their friends, their families, or their neighbors who continue to be "civil."
That’s you.
You prioritized not making other people "uncomfortable."
You thought it was more important to not "be political."
Remember that when a mass shooting inevitably touches you, your town, the people you care about.
Remember that when you wring your hands about "bad apples" or "bad people" shooting up malls or synagogues or nightclubs or schools.
Remember that your silence — yours — helped make those murders happen.
And each and every time — on average, twice a day in 2023 — remember that you are continuing to make that choice to be silent.
To accept this violence as the status quo.
Keep your "thoughts and prayers." Dry your hypocritical tears.
Make a different choice now.
You have more than two chances each and every day.
Or you can keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing. Wringing your hands, clutching your pearls, saying "how awful" it is, offering "thoughts and prayers," pretending that you are helpless as a bullshirt lying rationalization for your cowardice.
If you are looking for organizations to donate to, you can find several organizations to donate to via this LA Weekly article: https://www.laweekly.com/6-organizations-you-can-support-to-promote-gun-control/.
If you are looking for the spinal fortitude to "risk" annoying family members or friends, just imagine them offering you "thoughts and prayers" as they wear an AR-15 pin (just like some GOP lawmakers!), as you mourn the random death of your innocent child, grandchild, friend, or love.
Because at this rate, it will not just be in your imagination for very long.
Featured image by Sam Williams from Pixabay