If you’ve been following the gun control debate during the past few months, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the thought-provoking ads put out by the lobbyist organization Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
The grassroots organization really grabbed the media’s attention a few weeks ago when it put out a PSA titled [“How Many More Rounds?”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFH1MtYhszs) The video depicts a faceless shooter firing an AR-15 assault weapon, each round representing one of the tragic shootings that have unfolded over the past few decades, including but not limited to Virginia Tech, Columbine and Aurora.
As shots are fired, emotional news clips of presidential speeches, newscasts and interviews with distraught loved ones play. When the final bullet, labeled “Newtown,” hits the ground, viewers are left with the voice of a distressed and sobbing mother recalling the tragedy. “My little girl, who is so full of life, isn’t coming home,” she says. No matter how many times you watch the video, it never ceases to amaze. In fact, I’ve probably watched it close to 20 times already, and each viewing has had a more profound effect than the last.
But Moms Demand Action didn’t stop there. In fact, this week they released part two of the PSA, entitled [“Deja Vu”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQWd-edKL4c). Maybe even more shocking than the first, this sequel truly shows us how much history has repeated itself in regard to gun violence. The video takes clips out of speeches delivered by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as President Barack Obama, addressing the nation after the tragic events of the mass shootings. Between the three presidents, their words flow together side-by-side as they utter practically parallel remarks.
Why are all these speeches so similar in text? From Clinton’s Columbine address in 1999, to President Obama’s address after the tragedy in Newtown, our nation is still in the same position it was more than a decade ago regarding gun violence. How many more times must our nation be “shocked and saddened” and have “our hearts broken” in order for us to get the point?
Just take a look at some of the laws Moms Demand Action has called upon Congress to change — many of them are quite reasonable. Is it really necessary for anyone to own an assault weapon and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds? If this doesn’t encourage these devastating mass shootings, I don’t know what does.
In addition, there’s the hotly debated issue of whether or not background checks should be required for gun and ammunition purchases. It continues to astound me that people still believe that these background checks are not only a bad idea, but that they are an invasion of privacy. Here’s a concept — how about we not give guns to people who have a criminal record? It’s really not that hard to understand.
Of course, these solutions aren’t perfect. Adam Lanza, the Newtown shooter, was found with about 1,600 rounds of ammunition in his house, and laws like these would unlikely prevent him getting his hands on assault weapons or magazines exceeding 10 rounds. But we don’t live in a utopian society, and that’s exactly what criminals do; they break laws. People who want these items badly enough will go to great lengths to obtain them, even if that means purchasing them on the black market.
So then, maybe the real question here is: Why should we care about Moms Demand Action’s proposition? First of all, it’s a step. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and government and societal reform can’t happen in a day either. There are many aspects of the system, including the mental health sector, that must be changed.
But in order to create these changes, we have to start somewhere. These propositions are preventative measures — they’re not flawless, but in time, they may be the building blocks that help put gun violence where it belongs — in history, and only history.