BY CHRISTINE DICKASON
cdickason11@gmail.com
Last Tuesday, I stood on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol with family members, survivors and fellow young people to read some of the names of the approximately 3,000 Americans who have died since the Newtown shooting. Despite never having met any of the people whose names I was reading, I felt personally connected with each of them.
I cannot remember the number of times I said, “Age 3, shot and killed with a gun,” but that memory will never leave me. The names represented individuals — with hopes and dreams, just like the rest of us — whose lives were cut short because of gun violence. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
What I didn’t know at the time was that on the following day I would be at the Capitol again. This time, however, I would be standing with these families and survivors after a minority of senators blocked the Manchin-Toomey provision, a bipartisan measure that would have expanded background checks on gun purchases, along with several other gun reforms. The background check amendment would have simply made it harder for criminals and the “seriously mentally ill” to purchase a firearm.
Yet, on Wednesday, rational reforms were defeated to make room for more money from special interest groups. After the vote, politicians and media pundits alike argued that it was difficult to support the amendment in the shadow of the powerful gun lobby.
Try looking in the eyes of a father who lost his daughter at Virginia Tech. Speak with parents of children who were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Watch as the sister of a victim from Newtown breaks down as her sister’s name is read.
Now that’s difficult.
Voting for a measure that 90 percent of the American public supports? That should be easy. However, due to the willful lies that were started by the gun lobby and perpetuated by many senators, the will of the people was not done.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is one of those senators who spread an untrue rumor. He argued the passage of the Manchin-Toomey amendment would lead to a national gun registry. At best, that’s a mistruth. In reality, it’s probably more of a calculated lie. The provision specifically barred the creation of a national registry.
That’s just one example of a lie that was told, but the fact is that nothing in this measure would have restricted the Second Amendment. The two senators who wrote the legislation, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), both received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.
In the end, the vote came down to money and cowardice. The national gun lobby has too many senators in its pockets.
I spoke with Patricia Maisch, a survivor and hero from the Tuscon shooting and the woman who yelled, “Shame on you!” from the Senate gallery after the vote. Standing on the lawn of the Capitol, she looked me straight in the eyes and said, “You would’ve done the same thing.”
I certainly hope so.
I hope I would have had the courage to speak up as the U.S. Senate insulted both the American people and the victims of gun violence. I did not have the chance to make my voice heard in the Senate gallery, but I will make my voice heard now. Those of us who advocate for common-sense gun reforms are not defeated.
In the coming weeks, we must let the senators who voted against this measure know that they will be held accountable. Our generation has the power to influence future legislation, and it’s clear where young people stand on the issue of gun violence. A new public opinion survey shows that millennials overwhelmingly support background checks. There are no moral or rational excuses for not passing legislation that could save lives from the horror of gun violence.
I think Maisch spoke for America when she issued that final verdict.
To the senators who voted against background checks: shame on you. To all who feel anger and frustration by the inability of Congress to protect America’s citizens and our children: Let’s make sure the senators understand that failing to do their job has consequences during the next election.
Christine Dickason is a sophomore public policy major from Collierville, Tenn. Follow her on Twitter @christine_d11.
