What Can We Do About Gun Violence?

By
Hilary Feldstein Ratner
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0
gun violence

When the tragic San Bernadino shootings occurred in December, though I had already spent the previous few weeks mourning for the victims in Paris, Beirut, and Colorado Springs, this particular event truly struck me to the core.

San Bernadino County borders Orange County where we live, and one of my dear friends works at a school not far from where the shooting occurred. Thankfully no one I know personally was affected by it, but it was impossible not to imagine how directly my life could’ve been torn apart by this tragedy and how my children’s future well-being could be at risk.
 
To make matters worse, shortly after this incident a major bomb/firearm threat caused all 900 schools in the LAUSD to shut down for the day. It was later deemed a hoax, but still left my mommy friends in LA reeling from how to tell their children why they couldn’t go to school that day. Whatever your opinion is on gun laws in the US, these two incidents highlighted all our insecurities as parents about keeping our families safe and protecting our children’s innocence.
 
After the San Bernadino attack, my Facebook news feed was flooded with friends posting about their sadness that so many lives were lost to yet another shooting incident, and their frustration that something needs to change especially given how close to home this particular event hit.
 
On the one hand it was gratifying to know that so many of my friends reacted in the same empathetic and outraged way that I felt over the situation, but on the other hand I felt like, yes I agree this is a terrible situation, but what can we do? I don’t want to take guns away from everyone, but feel we should be reasonable about how they’re sold to the masses. Why wasn’t anyone actually posting suggestions or information on what we can do to make the laws regarding gun ownership less permissive?

So I did some research and came up with the following links that provide information and ideas on how you can actively contribute your voice to this issue:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence: A good place to start is by reading up on the President’s plan to reduce gun violence on the White House website. If you agree with his proposal, you can sign up to support it right there on the site.

http://csgv.org/take-action/: The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence provides links to a variety of active petitions that you can sign and an easy tool that helps you contact your local congress member to voice your opinion as well as ways you can donate to support gun control legislation.

http://momsdemandaction.org/: Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America is a non-partisan grassroots organization that provides information and ways in which you can add your voice to the movement. It even includes an old-school tip for contacting your congressional representatives: Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

http://www.people.com/article/amy-shumer-rallies-fans-against-gun-violence-wake-san-bernardino-mass-shooting: Comedy “It” Girl of the moment Amy Schumer – whose movie TRAINWRECK was the target of a crazed gunman in Louisiana last summer – has been tweeting out suggestions such as ways to text, call, and email every one of your congressional representatives.

 

http://unloadyour401k.com/: If you’re looking for a less politically aggressive but equally effective idea, check out Unload Your 401k. Here you can search the name of your 401k provider against a list of those that invest in gun companies.

For more thoughts on how we can react positively when these tragedies occur, check out this post from our sister site in Boston.

 

What Can We Do About Gun Violence?

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Hilary Feldstein Ratner
Hilary Feldstein Ratner
https://ecofriendlymama.com
Follow me on Instagram @EcoFriendlyMama, Twitter @EcoFriendlyMa, and Pinterest @EcoFriendlyMama! Though I was born and raised in New York City, I've lived in SoCal for over ten years now and am proud to call this beautiful and diverse place my home. My husband and I have a son and baby daughter (whom I was 9 months pregnant with when this photo was taken!). Prior to becoming a mommy I spent several years in feature film publicity and acquisitions for Miramax and later as the Creative Executive for Hilary Swank Productions before seguing to the music industry where I did Online Communications for the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares. In my ample pre-parenthood free time, I also freelanced as a script analyst and screenwriter. I am fortunate now to be able to devote all my time to my family, but I still love to write so am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of this blog! I am a foodie, avid traveler, environmentalist, preschool board member, and unabashed Disney nut. I can also be found writing about green parenting and eco-conscious living on my personal website, https://ecofriendlymama.com.
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