End Gun Violence
Content Warning: Nashville shooting (Guns, school shooting, etc.)
PSA: NO ACTUAL GUNS WERE USED IN THIS PHOTOSHOOT. GUNS AREN’T JUST A PART OF THE PROBLEM, THEY ARE THE PROBLEM.
As many already know, there was yet another school shooting in Nashville, TN this past week. I wanted to create something that would reach people with privilege and create a dialogue that is much needed in this country right now considering there have now been 129 mass shootings so far in 2023. So let’s talk about it…
The Nashville shooter identified as transgender. Immediately when I heard that, my heart sank. I knew the media would immediately use this as yet another way to attack the trans community. Conservatives talking about the recent shooting in Tennessee are so focused on blaming trans people instead of focusing on the real issue of gun violence in this country. Now they just have a fake excuse to label trans people as terrorists. People are referring to the shooter as a trans woman and constantly misgendering him on top of it. They are so beyond uneducated about our community that they are going to use a mass shooting by someone who happened to be transgender as an excuse to justify violence against trans people. Suddenly identity matters to them. They only blame someone’s actions on their identity when their identity is anything other than a cis, straight, white man. What about the thousands of other shooters who have identified as profoundly cis white men? (98% of mass shooters to be exact.) Who do you blame then? I know it’s not the guns since there’s not a single law in office regarding gun violence. Shootings aren’t new. Trans people aren’t to blame and neither are any other marginalized group. They’d rather blame the people they hate than their own policies.
Our president kicked off a press conference about this mass shooting by joking about ice cream and “good looking kids” at the conference. OUR PRESIDENT was making jokes instead of talking about the fact that 3 children and 3 adults have died in yet another mass shooting. The government is not taking this seriously even in the slightest. The shooter LEGALLY bought SEVEN firearms, including an AR -15 and two others used in Monday’s shooting. There is absolutely no need for a person to purchase that many firearms, never-mind own a gun like that in the first place. Meanwhile the only thing the media is focused on is the fact that the shooter was transgender.
The hashtag #TransTerroism was trending on Twitter after the shooting. Conservatives are calling it an “anti-christian hate crime motivated by radical left gender ideology” and a “trans movement targeting Christians". So all of a sudden the media is pointing out the identity of the shooter just because they’re trans? Stop covering up the real issue of gun violence with your transphobia. This tragedy is a direct result of America’s obsession with the second amendment. Stop attacking transness instead of gun violence.
They are choosing to point out the two or three mass shootings committed by trans people yet ignoring the thousands committed by young straight cis white men…
The government wants to protect kids right? Well, the leading cause of death for children in this country is firearms. So why are they attacking LGBTQ+ people?
Why is is so hard for people to see the clear issue here? It’s not the trans kids. It’s not the drag queens. It’s not the books. ITS THE F*CKING GUNS. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 2023 is likely to be the deadliest the deadliest year of gun violence on record.
26 years ago, a gunman killed 16 kids and a teacher at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland. The UK government responded to this mass shooting by enacting a tight gun control legislation. In the 9400+ days since, there have been a total of 0 school shootings in the UK.
The United States needs to do better.
The red line is when Republicans ended the national assault weapons ban.
I don’t think I need to say much more.
With gun violence on the rise over the years, trying to educate people on the causes is the first step to working towards preventing it. Substance abuse is very closely linked to gun violence, with 68% of substance-related murders occurring with guns.
Below is a guide about the link between drug abuse and gun violence. Feel free to take a look here:
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/drug-addiction/how-guns-drugs-contribute-to-violence/
https://www.palmerlakerecovery.com/programs/co-occurring-disorders/trauma-substance-abuse/
With Trans Day of Visibility coming up this week, this is the time to show up and fight for our rights as trans people in this country. The Conservative party is already using the fact that the Nashville shooter is trans as a way to attack every transgender person across the world. You don’t get to hold trans people responsible for this unless you’re holding every cis man responsible for the other thousands of school shootings. Being trans did not make this person become a shooter. This is not a trans issue, it’s a gun control issue.
My condolences go out to all the lives lost on Monday.
Evelyn Dieckhus - Age 9
Hallie Scruggs - Age 9
William Kinney - Age 9
Cynthia Peak - Age 61
Mike Hill - Age 61
Katherine Koonce - Age 60
If you want to take part in the fight for gun control and the fight for trans rights I’ve listed a petition to sign as well as numbers to text to help #EndGunViolence.
Text ACT to 644-33
Text RESIST to 50409
