To the Editor:
A little over 30 years ago, our nation was fixated on the plight of baby Jessica McClure. The toddler fell into a deep abandoned well, and for 60 hours rescuers tried desperately to save her without causing the well to cave in. It dominated the news cycle as well as water cooler talk. When they finally reached her, there was a nationwide collective sigh of relief that she was OK.
A month ago, a young man shot up a Florida school killing 17 people — just our latest mass shooting in an ever-growing list. Our reaction to these shootings has become routine, with people immediately calling for reforms like background checks and assault weapon bans. That is followed by the loudest voice in the room, the NRA and the politicians they financially support, who tell us their unfettered right to own a gun outweighs our right to not die from gunshot wounds. They take the cries for common-sense change and distort them by yelling, “They’re coming for your guns.” Eventually, the story grows old, the voices die down, and nothing changes. What happened to our nation’s ability to feel compassion for the lives of others?
After the slaughter of elementary schoolchildren at Sandy Hook, we were certain things would change. Who could look at the photos of the children we lost and not do something to keep it from happening again? But again, nothing happened. Our nation, which 30 years ago shared a collective anguish at the thought of one toddler possibly losing her life in a well, could not come together and say that this senseless gun slaughter of young children was a bridge too far. It seemed our ability as a nation to extend compassion to the most innocent of victims was gone. And with each ensuing slaughter, the lives lost became more and more trivialized. Seriously, what has happened to us?
After Parkland, the students who survived took the airwaves to share their stories and to “call BS” on the excuses that allowed this preventable tragedy to happen again. And while so many of us couldn’t help but be moved by their story, our great nation, capable of great empathy, was divided. The loudest voice in the room tried again to dominate the conversation. But this time was different. They accused the students of being “crisis actors” and not Parkland students, going so far as posting “photographic proof.” They used derogatory slurs to demean and insult them. They said the students had been co-opted by leftist politicians, and their message had more to do with elections than their own grief. This time that loud voice is being drowned out by the voices of those who have had a gun pointed at them and lived to tell the tales of the trauma it has caused.
Kudos to the Parkland survivors for acknowledging their privilege and using their spotlight to shine it on all young victims of gun violence, which happens daily in communities across this country. According to the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence, seven children die from gunshots in this country every day, and we, as a nation, have done nothing to change this.
The children who spoke on Saturday at the March for Our Lives in D.C. have been applauded for their eloquence. They were also chastised for being publicity-seeking liars and puppets for leftist billionaires.
When I was 12, my sister died from a brain tumor. That loss created such a huge, deep, dark hole in my life, it took years for me to crawl out. Even as I write this, I am choking back tears, 40 years later. Grief is strong, and grief is real. When you are that young, you’re not supposed to lose your friends, your parents, or your siblings, and nothing in your limited worldly experience has prepared you to endure that pain. In my case, my sister died because there was nothing the doctors could do for her. I cannot imagine the anger I would have felt if her death could have been prevented, as gun violence can be. Let’s be clear, those children who spoke so powerfully with quivering voices through clenched teeth and tear-stained cheeks are no one’s puppet. Their grief and their anger are real. They are overwhelming. And they are powerful.
The media is wondering if this movement has legs. The 800,000 people who gathered in Washington, D.C., alone gave up their weekend to have their voices heard. And hundreds of thousands more across this country did the same in their home cities. I think it’s a fair bet to think these folks and the millions more like them who believe in common-sense gun violence prevention will take a little time out of their day to express their views at the ballot box this November. For the first time in a long time, there is hope that we can curtail the gun violence exploding across our country. And it’s all happening because our children have told us enough is enough.
Maria Black
Edgartown
