Tired of gun violence? We need to change the laws or change the legislators.
Enough is enough; now is the time for action. There is a lot we can do as individuals but the real change has to come through legislation.
We are fed up with children being slaughtered in schools and people being mowed down in grocery stores, houses of worship, and movie theatres. We are tired of mothers losing loved ones through daily gun violence — 110 people lose their lives to guns every day. It’s now the leading cause of death for children and teens .
Kentucky has the 14th highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S., with 770 deaths each year (31% homicides; 63% suicides). Lexington experienced 36 homicides in 2021, and is outpacing this number in 2022, with 21 gun homicides through 5/27.
Don’t believe the politicians when they say changing a law wouldn’t have prevented a specific shooting. There is extensive research that shows laws are effective in stopping senseless shootings. The states with common sense gun laws in place have lower rates of homicides and suicides.*
We have over 400 million guns in the United States. If more guns made us safer, we would be the safest country in the world. But here we are, the only high-income country in the world with this epidemic of gun violence. What can we do?
National
Urge our Senate to pass:
▪ Background checks: A recent poll shows 88% of the American public support background checks on all gun sales. But at this point, people can purchase a gun online from an unlicensed dealer or at a flea market with no background check.
▪ Red Flag Laws: Every community needs a law that gives them the tool to temporarily, with due process, remove guns from someone who has shown themselves to be a danger to themselves or others.
▪ Regulate Assault Weapons: The common thread in 14 recent mass shootings, including Uvalde, is that the shooter used an AR-15. A 10-year ban on assault weapons expired in 2004, after which mass shootings tripled. In 1994 there were 400,000 AR-15 style rifles in the US. Today, there are 20 million. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union have banned assault weapons.
▪ Raise the age to purchase a gun. The law prevents anyone under 21 from buying a handgun from a dealer. Teenagers have no business owning an assault weapon.
▪ Repeal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This act protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products.
Kentucky
Urge our legislators to pass:
▪ Crisis Aversion, Rights Retention Bill. This bill enables law enforcement to temporarily, with due process, remove weapons from someone who is a danger to themselves or others.
▪ Reinstate permit and training for concealed carry.
▪ Accountability for secured storage.
▪ Strengthen the domestic violence laws.
▪ Regulate private gun sales
Lexington
What you can do:
▪ Safe storage: Be sure all weapons are safely stored and away from children or teens. Use a lock, box and/or gun lock. Do not store weapons in your car. A stolen gun is a crime gun.
▪ For more information about keeping children and teens safe from gun violence, see BeSMART for Kids at besmartforkids.org
▪ Text a Tip: If you see something suspicious, say something. Anyone with information about a suspect or incident can text LEXPD in the body of the message followed by the anonymous tip and send it to CRIMES (274637)
▪ Support community violence prevention efforts. Volunteer to work with youth.
Call to Action:
▪ Get involved in all elections. Know the candidates who support common sense gun legislation and vote for them.
▪ On Friday, June 3, join Wear Orange on June 3 National Gun Violence Awareness Day to honor survivors and loved ones lost to gun violence and to elevate the voice of every American who demands an end to gun violence. June 3 at 10 a.m. at the downtown courthouses, 150 N. Limestone.
▪ Text READY to 644-33 to join a local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the largest grassroots organization working for gun sense legislation and a part of Everytown for Gun Safety.
▪ Get the facts on how gun violence impacts your community: https://everystat.org
▪ Take Legislative Action: https://momsdemandaction.org/act/
▪ Know your KY legislator: https://legislature.ky.gov
Kathi Crowe and Lynsey Sugarman are members of Lexington Moms Demand Action.