On Independence Day, we declare freedom from gun violence

As our nation prepares to celebrate its 257th birthday, we are reminded of the rights we cherish most as Americans, especially those immortalized as “unalienable” in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Independence Day reminds us of what America’s independence from Great Britain truly meant: freedom. 

And for decades, the Republican Party has marketed itself to the American people as the party of ideological freedom.  

Ronald Reagan, heralded still today as one of the “great Republicans” within the GOP for his efforts to transform the Republican Party into an ideological party of freedom, stated in 1967 that “freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” 

Fifty years later, the GOP has manifested the words of their “great Republican” to life in a self-fulfilling prophecy as they continue their crusade to roll back so many rights and freedoms during recent years.

From the extremist Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ banning of books, literature, and courses on Black and LGBTQ+ history and culture, the GOP’s hypocritical rhetoric of freedom could not be more blatant.

But perhaps it’s another right, to live free from fear of gun violence, that the ideological right most clearly violates as they continually block commonsense gun safety reforms. As schools, churches, theaters, malls, and concerts have become sites of mass shootings, a majority of Americans have expressed fear that they or a loved one could become a victim of gun violence.

And for thousands, that fear has become a horrifying reality.

Of the over 20,000 lives lost in the United States this year due to gun violence, nearly 1,000  have been children and teenagers.

And each time we hear news of yet another school shooting, our hearts are filled with sorrow as we mourn with the families who will never again gather around the kitchen table to celebrate a lost child’s birthday. 

But as we grieve, we feel anger at the rampant hypocrisy that exists amongst those entrusted with governing based on the people’s will in Congress. With 87 percent of voters supporting criminal background check requirements for all gun buyers, and 61 percent of voters supporting the ban of assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons, it is clear that certain elected officials are deliberately ignoring the will of the very same people who elected them. 

Talk about un-American. 

In this “One Nation Under God,” we are righteously angry at those who only offer “thoughts and prayers” or “faith without works” as our children are massacred in their classrooms.

We’re angry at politicians who hold the Second Amendment in higher regard than the safety of our young people, even as we record more mass shootings than days so far in 2023.

We’re angry at legislators who readily rally their bases behind dog-whistle calls to “combat crime” yet put NRA dollars ahead of gun control legislation that would save children’s lives.

Furthermore, Republicans often boast about maintaining America’s global competitiveness, but seem oblivious to a strategic fact: we cannot expect to remain a global superpower when our future leaders, movers, and shakers—our children—are routinely murdered in their classrooms.

Our children will determine how we will work to tackle the climate crisis, end hunger, and continue to advance social justice and equality. Yet instead of preparing to solve these urgent challenges, our young people are instead often thinking about surviving a mass shooting.  

In fact, 57 percent of teens and 64 percent of nonwhite teens report that they are worried about the possibility of a school shooting. These anxieties directly impact our children’s ability to learn, as studies have shown that we cannot access the parts of our brain that are required to learn when threat perceptions and stress responses are heightened.

The connection between shootings and our children’s lives and learning is clear. That’s why it should not be such a challenge for legislators to agree that planning and practicing escape routes from mass shootings cannot continue to be a daily reality for America’s children.

As a licensed gun owner, I wholeheartedly support ensuring a safer future for our children and communities by passing meaningful, commonsense gun control legislation.

This month, we marked the first anniversary of the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which I was proud to support as a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. This law is a meaningful step toward addressing the gun violence epidemic, including provisions that enhance background checks for people under 21 by examining their juvenile and mental health records, restrict illegal gun license evasion, and impose new penalties for straw purchases.

More recently, I co-sponsored legislation that would close the bump stock loophole, more effectively identify mass shooters, and raise the age of those who can purchase assault weapons.

But the work is far from finished.

Protecting our children and effectively combating gun violence and mass shootings means passing legislation to ban assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices.

In a truly American spirit, we can only pray that Republicans gather the courage to stand up to extremism and hypocrisy and put our children above politics. Our young people deserve a chance to bond over books rather than find comradery dodging bullets in their classrooms.

Shontel M. Brown represents Ohio’s 11th District in the United States House of Representatives.