If Americans Really Want to Address Gun Violence, It’s Democracy, Stupid
The déjà vu massacre of school children in Uvalde, Texas seems to have heated Americans’ frustrations with the inaction of their political leaders to a raging boil.
Turn on the news, and one hears outrage over the out-sized influence of the NRA and gun lobbyists over the Republican Party. Pundits and viewers are sickened by the spectacle of Congressional Republicans repetitively chanting the same hackneyed talking points that deny access to guns, particularly assault rifles, has anything to do with the epidemic of gun violence in America.
And, without a doubt, the outrage is justified. I share it.
Typically the solution to addressing the problem of political leaders who don’t represent their constituents is to vote them out of office, to exercise the democratic process itself.
Maybe this sounds simple, but in so many ways it doesn’t seem to be. Even when voters, living in regions where polls have indicated strong support for strict gun regulation, have had the opportunity to vote directly for ballot measures to enforce gun controls, the measures have failed.
More to the point, though, is that even the window of democracy is closing upon us as a form of action for Americans to address their frustrations over governmental…
