The two greatest issues in American society collided in the ugliest way possible this week. Gun violence was used as the catalyst for what the gunman hoped would be a race war.
In Charleston, South Carolina, Dylann Roof opened fire at the end of a Bible study meeting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, killing 9, including Reverend Clementa Pinckney. Americans are left wondering, yet again, what to do and how to think after yet another act of violence tears apart our people.
We identify them by the names of the communities torn apart forever. We call them “Newtown,” “Aurora,” now “Charleston.” We use the names of these towns to remember the locations of terrible acts of hatred and violence, each leaving us with tears in our eyes and despair in our hearts. We can’t identify them by the names of the victims; that would be too long a list and too heart-wrenching to bear. The worst part for our country: the feeling of hopelessness, that we are at the mercy of those who choose to use weapons of death to terrorize our families, schools, churches, and homes.
Unlike Newtown or Aurora, though, this act of violence includes an unavoidable race element. Roof was a known racist, and attacked a church that is a monument for African American living in the south. We now face not only the terrible challenge of gun violence prevention, but also have to confront the deep and troubling racial tensions that are so prevalent, yet ignored in our culture.
It seems that Americans are at a loss. We’ve tried making bold statements of protest against those who use guns to violently make a point. We’ve tried to lobby our politicians to enforce stricter gun laws to prevent criminals and extremists from getting their hands on weapons of mass murder. We’ve tried writing blogs, articles, columns, and manifestos declaring our need for more attention to race issues and violence awareness and prevention. None of it has worked.
In fact, we have the feeling it is getting worse. There is a general sense of despair, of issue-related fatigue. We are tired of fighting against violence when it so clearly isn’t working. We aren’t making any progress. The world is getting more violent, not less. The world is more racially divided, not more united. And Americans are losing hope that we will ever see a change for the better. Even our comedians (like Jon Stewart) aren’t able to do their jobs, because we are so overcome with grief by the horrors that are becoming commonplace in our communities.
My deepest hope is that things are getting worse as a precursor to them getting better. Racists are feeling the world changing around them, and feel the pressure to act against the new found tolerance and patience. We are seeing more violence because these psychopaths are afraid that they are losing their grip on the world. My most sincere wish is that this terrible string of violence will be very soon overthrown by a time of peace and understanding, that the world is fixing itself and slowly, painfully purging itself of those who need to be taken out of the conversation.
I know this is a dream. I know it is most likely not the case. But we need to find something to drive us forward. We need some kind of hope that allows us to continue to work for the betterment of our society, and that continues to demand that those in power reevaluate how we allow citizens to protect themselves without arming violent criminals. We need to come together, to know that regardless of our understanding of racial tensions in our country, we can unite under the simple an unalienable right, that we must, as one country, pursue life for all, liberty for all, and an opportunity for happiness. Most importantly, we need to continue to make it abundantly clear that this kind of intolerance and hatred is no longer acceptable in our country.
I have yet to hear a single argument in favor of keeping guns in the hands of private citizens that makes even a lick of sense. There are those who argue that gun possession acts as a deterrent, that if everyone is armed, someone up to no good will be less likely to attack. This sounds like an opportunity for more violence, rather than scaring criminals into submission. Others say that gun laws don’t stop criminals from getting their hands on weapons. Several recent shootings have been attacks using guns that were purchased legally by others and then seized by the perpetrator. This doesn’t consider, though, that we are refusing to acknowledge that allowing citizens to own killing machines doesn’t have any productive value to our country, and we need to take drastic action to prevent such acts of terror from continuing.
The time for conversation is over. We can’t keep talking about these problems when those with the guns aren’t sitting in on the conversation. They are using the weapons faster than we can talk about getting rid of them. We need drastic and immediate action that will prevent further destruction of American life, thus leaving us able to have an active and thoughtful dialogue about the racial tensions that challenge our country’s unity. We can’t have that conversation, though, until we remove the threat of violence.
Once we remove the imminent violence that looms large and dangerously over our heads, we can engage in a conversation worthy of this great nation. Until then, we are being held hostage by those too afraid to be exposed as the terrorists that they are.
May the memory of all those who have lost their lives to gun violence be for a blessing, and let their memories serve as a force for change in this country. May we honor them by making the world better in their name.
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