Every day, the American people wake up and decide the value of human life. It is not a decision long gone, and it is not a decision fast approaching. It’s a living decision that we make and remake every day through our actions, or lack thereof. The ways in which we speak about political gun violence are vitally important and morally significant. But this violence is not a debate. It’s our lived reality. We feel it in our bodies. It alters our minds. It stains our hearts. It hangs particularly heavy this week.
I am speaking about the two students who were injured in the Evergreen High School shooting, which took place on September 10th. I understand you may be speaking of other recent acts of gun violence. Maybe you’re speaking of the targeted murder of Minnesota lawmaker, Melissa Hortman, in her home. Maybe someone else still.
With sympathy and gentleness, I would remind us that who we mourn, and how we mourn, is part of our living decision.
The examples of gun violence and the number of victims in the past year alone is staggering. The CDC estimates that in the US, someone dies a firearm-related death every 11 minutes. My heart is heavy with the many names I know and the many I don’t.
The name we all know, that has been placed highest in our headlines this week, is Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot and killed on September 10th, the same day as the Evergreen High School shooting. Opinions surrounding the incident are varied, complex, and personal.
What I ask, however, is to not just consider your opinion, but your actions. Not just what you are saying, but who you are speaking about– and who you are not. Why? What does that choice say about you as a person? Because it’s a choice you’ve already made. It’s a choice our nation has already made. But it will not be the last time we make it.
“In retrospect, Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.” – Dan Hodges
Maggie Raker
Opinion Editor
