It’s Fun to Take Action
Even though we have strong opinions on guns in this country, there is a common ground when trying to seek solutions around the impact of guns and children. I know it seems as though we blow off school shootings and other mass gun violence, but the reason we do is because of Republican gun policy or lack thereof.
At our county party meeting this week, Assemblywoman Deb Andraca talked with us about the various gun safety bills she and other Democrats have authored, but the Republicans who are in control of the Assembly will not let these bills get out of committee. What that means is the bill never gets a debate on the floor of the Assembly, therefore the public NEVER HEARS ABOUT IT. So it appears as though no one is doing anything about the dangers of guns and kids.
Christian Heyne, chief officer of policy and programs at the gun violence prevention organization Brady, said we must rethink the way we understand gun violence: “No other industrialized country in the free world allows this to take place. We have enabled it to exist by not trying to do anything differently.”
Think how the auto and child safety industry has changed. You cannot take your newborn baby home from the hospital unless you have a safe baby seat. I remember my baby sister rolling around in a “car bed” in the late 1950s. There were no seat belts, or shoulder harnesses, or airbags. Now the auto industry got into the car safety business kicking and screaming, but now it is a selling point to have many safety features on a car. Backup cameras, lane signal detection, etc. There also is no amendment to the Constitution for people to get all worked up about: “The Right Not to Have Car Safety.”
We can do it differently, and we need to bring all the players into the room, including Big Tech. Most recently, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has condemned Big Tech, particularly social media platforms, calling them "conflict entrepreneurs" that fuel addiction and political violence. His comments were made on Sept. 14, during an appearance on Meet the Press. Why is it that the majority of the shooters are white young men who are particularly suited to getting hooked on social media? I am not judging, but when you are done reading this newsletter, take a walk, call a friend you haven’t talked to for awhile, play with the dog or cat, and model that behavior for our kids and grandkids.
Now for the required party plug. Please put the following dates on your calendar:
Saturday, Sept. 20, 9 a.m., canvass launch with Rep. Deb Andraca in our office.
Saturday, Oct. 4, 4:30-6 p.m., meet and greet with State Supreme Court Candidate Judge Chris Taylor in our office.
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 7 p.m., The Big Beautiful Bill Presentation in our office
Saturday, Oct. 17, second No Kings Protest in Cedarburg.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 5-8 p.m., Oz Dems Annual Fundraising Gala, "One Year to Win," at Shully’s in Thiensville.
We do have fun when we get together, with over 90 people at our meeting this week.
Thanks for reading, and thank you to Matt Webber and the communications gang for producing such a fabulous newsletter.