Last week’s shooting at Covenant School in Nashville is a tragedy that has shaken our community to its core. However, amid the horror, we saw the inspiring bravery of the Metro police and first responders, who ran toward danger without a second thought. Their willingness to sacrifice their own lives for the safety of others is a testament to the best of humanity. It is also important to recognize the heroism of the three adults who lost their lives: 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, 61-year-old Mike Hill and 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, the head of the school who “very possibly,” according to MNPD Chief John Drake, ran toward the shooter in an attempt to protect students.
But we cannot ignore the role that easy access to guns played in this tragedy. The shooter, who legally bought seven weapons from five different gun stores, used three of them during the shooting. Even many gun owners recognize the need for better regulation. Local Chad Baker, who carries a gun himself, told CBS News, “I don’t think it should be as easy to buy flowers as it is a gun.”
Sadly, many politicians, like U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, prioritize their relationships with the National Rifle Association over the right to life. Blackburn has received more than $1.3 million from the NRA, yet she offered only “thoughts and prayers” after the school shooting. As reported last year by The New York Times, Republican lawmakers often claim that taking a stand for gun control would be political suicide — but if they truly cared about human life, they would recognize that the right to carry a gun should not outweigh the right to live.
According to a study conducted by the Tufts University School of Medicine and reported on by Politico, the majority of gun owners even support specific gun-safety policies, and have concerns about school shootings, mass shootings and access to guns for those convicted of violent crimes. The study shows that 71 percent are concerned about mass shootings. “Sixty-six percent are concerned about an increase in gun-related homicides and gun crimes in cities,” reports Politico. “Over 80 percent believe people convicted of a violent crime should not be able to purchase or possess a gun.” But GOP lawmakers continue to make assumptions about their constituents, rather than taking action to protect public safety. Gov. Bill Lee, in his usual “silent mode,” did not make public appearances last week, let alone propose any steps toward gun reform. He merely offered that as a community we should “pray.”
Worse still, actions against any gun control measures are coming to the fore. According to The Washington Post: “Republicans in the state Senate appear poised to block gun-related bills for the rest of the year. That would bar passage of new gun measures inspired by the shooting, and efforts previously underway may be held up in their Senate committee. Senator Jeff Yarbro (D), whose measure to strengthen gun storage requirements now faces uncertainty, told The Washington Post, ‘I fundamentally reject that notion and don’t understand how we can responsibly call ourselves representatives of citizens and not take this on.’” Maybe this explains the governor’s lack of public appearances. Likely, he knows the repercussions he’d face if he were to have to answer for this in front of his constituents.
The link between gun control measures and public safety is clear. States with weaker gun laws have higher firearm-related homicide and suicide rates, while stronger gun laws are associated with lower rates of gun deaths. Every time there is another school shooting, we ask ourselves how many more children have to die before our leaders take meaningful action toward gun reform.
It is not the majority of our gun-carrying citizens who are at fault. Rather, the lack of action from our lawmakers is to blame. As long as politicians prioritize their own careers over the safety of our children, we will continue to see these devastating tragedies. I urge those with power to think about the families of those affected and to remember that every American deserves to feel comfortable dropping their children off at school and knowing they will be safe. We need action, not just prayers. I’m angered that our state leaders are still standing idly by and doing nothing. In our governor’s case, that means refusing public appearances and doing nothing — while his party’s lawmakers even bar changes that could be made. It’s ridiculous!
I don’t know how they sleep at night.
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and The News.
