Navigating Guns, AR-15s, the Second Amendment, and the Right Way to Reduce Gun Violence

When do we do the wrong thing for the seemingly right reason? It has happened to all of us. When we were in elementary school, we would hear a familiar catchphrase after doing something not too swift -"You're cutting off your own nose to spite your face." A perfect illustration of this happened recently when a gun rights advocate thought the best way to demonstrate his support of the Second Amendment was to stand at a school bus stop for several weeks with an AR-15-style weapon at the low ready position. [Article from the Baltimore Banner: Click Here]

The community's reaction was predictable despite the man's comment that he didn't mean to cause any harm. A fellow supporter of limiting firearms restrictions wrote about this man’s tragic choice. "The irony is that the people who care about gun rights the most are often the ones more likely to pay with foot guns (like say, protesting with an AR at a school bus stop and hurting their own movement) . . . The harm they cause to gun rights comes from how much they like gun rights."

A profound observation by a person on his side, so to speak. 

Teams don't win without scoring points and no one gets their way simply because they are a zealot. Firearms violence is calculated as one death and one injury at a time. To impact that calculation and lower casualties, advocates for firearms safety need to put points on the board. We all are on the same team. We all want to reduce gun violence. To do that, first, you need to appreciate what research is teaching us about what we can do in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, and daily lives to lower those numbers. 

Instead of counterproductive action - even if born out of zeal - arm yourself with the ability to speak productively with others about the effectiveness of laws, policies, and personal habits that can reduce gun violence. This is a topic I cover in my new book How to Talk About Guns With Anyone. If you’re serious about ending the mass shooting crisis and gun violence in America, arm yourself with the facts by getting this book.

How to Talk About Guns With Anyone is Katherine Schweit’s second book following the 2023 paperback release of Stop The Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis.