An Open Letter to Georgia’s Senators About The Latest School Shooting

Georgia Senators Warnock and Ossoff,

The United States has a gun violence problem, and inaction at the local, state, and federal level is resulting in further loss of innocent life.

Nearly 50,000 people died from gun violence in 2023 (CDC numbers), and, speaking of the CDC, two lives were lost and countless others irrevocably changed after the shootings there this month.

Homicides and suicides put into stark perspective how desperately we need common sense gun laws and major revisions in our mental healthcare offerings.

Most Americans agree with and support things like universal background checks, waiting periods, mandatory licensure and firearms training, all of which can be enacted without violating 2A. Precedent also shows that an Assault Weapons Ban is a legal pursuit, as the USA had one from 1994 – 2004, and some studies say that, during that period, mass shootings decreased by a rate of up to 70% under the ban.

But curtailing quick access to incredibly powerful weaponry alone won’t solve the problem. Better, more accessible, more affordable mental healthcare services are imperative. Follow up on flagged individuals is imperative.

Whether homicide or suicide, the gun violence deaths we are seeing are often perpetrated by someone experiencing catastrophic psychiatric events. Our healthcare system is failing these people, and we need – again – more access, more affordability, more training, more practitioners, more insurance coverage, more follow up on behalf of mental health providers and law enforcement to ensure these people get the help they need before they or any potential victims become grim statistics.

These are but a few of the many moves we need to make to curb the gun violence in this country. Obviously addressing the already known criminal element (ie. gangs and drugs) is its own beast to be tamed. But the fact that this is a multi-pronged problem and that we do not know or have full consensus on the “solution” to the Gun Violence Epidemic is not an excuse to do nothing at all. We’ve tried that for years, to deadly results.

Lobbies have more money and more influence than The People, but you’ll sleep better at night knowing you’ve done well by the two children who were just murdered at school and Officer David Rose than you will knowing you’ve done well by the Gun and Healthcare Lobbies.

Enough is enough.

You’ve been elected to positions of leadership. Lead.