Moms get things done.
Which is why it’s going to be up to moms to help solve the gun violence epidemic and keep our kids safe.
Look how moms impacted drunken driving with the success of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Any fight becomes a whole lot different when lead by parents who want to do everything we can to protect our kids.
As columnist Lisa Belkin writes in The Huffington Post:
“MADD changed the conversation from the rights of drivers to have a good time on Saturday night to the rights of those they would maim and kill. And that is the only way this next parenting fight can be won. We must hold up photos of children lost to violence, we must say their names and keep it personal. We must make it as unforgivable to irresponsibly handle a gun as it is to drink behind the wheel.”
We can do the same with gun violence as MADD did with drunken driving.
Because there is a gun violence epidemic among our kids.
Every day, eight children are killed by guns.
As The Washington Post reported: In 2008 and 2009, 5,740 children were killed by gunfire in America, according to a report by the Children’s Defense Fund that analyzed data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That equals about 2,500 kids per year.
What can we do?
Parents of the slain Sandy Hook students created Sandy Hook Promise on the one-month anniversary of the shooting, which claimed 26 lives — 20 of them children, to find common sense solutions to make our communities safer. The goal is to enlist all Americans in supporting comprehensive solutions including a national dialogue around issues such as mental health, school safety and gun responsibility.
Take a moment to visit www.sandyhookpromise.org and Make the Promise. Also visit the Sandy Hook Promise Facebook page (facebook.com/sandyhookpromise), and follow them on Twitter (twitter.com/sandyhook). You can also sign the promise at causes.com/sandyhookpromise.
Another mom who aims to get things done when it comes to ending gun violence in our schools is Shannon Watts of Indiana, who founded One Million Moms for Gun Control, a nonprofit that supports common-sense gun laws, but not taking guns away from law-abiding gun-owners.
Watts started the nonprofit in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. Check out her Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/OneMillionMomsForGunControl.
The goals of One Million Moms for Gun Control:
• Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds.
• Require background checks for all gun purchasers.
• Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF.
• Limit the scope of concealed weapons laws at the state level.
Watts’ group has expanded into over 75 branches all over the country including branches in Georgia and South Carolina. No Savannah chapter yet. Anyone interested in starting one? First task could be emailing our politicians asking them to help bring the gun violence prevention bills to the floor.
The hope is that moms will not rest until there is change.
One Million Moms for Gun Control is backing several major events in January to demand action on common-sense gun control laws.
Today the organization kicks off a social media campaign that will allow moms to connect across the country called “How do you wear your heart?”
The campaign gives moms across the country a creative way to express their collective desire for new and stronger gun control laws.
Moms are asked to use a printable template to make your own heart, and to get creative: find those old crayons, markers and fabric and get crafty.
Moms should feel inspired, then should pin it over their heart and wear it publicly in support of One Million Moms for Gun Control. Take pictures of yourselves wearing your pin and email them to photos@1mm4gc.org, or Tweet and Instagram the photos using the hashtags #howdoyouwearyourheart and #1MM4GC.
One Million Moms for Gun Control also is planning rallies around the country including co-sponsoring the March on Washington for Gun Control in Washington, D.C., on Jan 26.
Thank you to all the parents fighting for our kids’ safety.
Common sense gun control laws. We can do it.
Contact Anne Hart at anne@southernmamas.com.