We share a lot in common, and if we start there, maybe we can start to make some progress on keeping kids safe in their classrooms

click to enlarge We share a lot in common, and if we start there, maybe we can start to make some progress on keeping kids safe in their classrooms
Young Kwak photo
Demonstrators gather at the Pavilion in Riverfront Park for a rally against gun violence on June 4.

If you're reading this, I'm going to make a few assumptions about you. I'm going to assume: You are horrified by the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 kids and two teachers dead; you would like there to be fewer (or zero!) school shootings; you're aware that there's a heated debate around gun safety and gun violence prevention in the United States. And I don't mean you follow specifics of certain state laws or legislation... just the idea that, you know, people fight about this a lot.

If those points accurately describe you, we have a few things in common. In fact, given that the Inlander's a regional publication, this is probably just the tip of the iceberg of what we have in common. Maybe your family is excited about the Riverfront Park remodel, too. Maybe you also wish Rockwood Bakery had longer hours. Maybe one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning is browsing Auntie's. We've probably shopped in the same stores, eaten in the same restaurants, waited at the same light on Division.

You can probably tell where I'm going with this. In addition to agreeing that school shootings are horrific and tragic, we're members of the same community.

So why don't we start there? Let's come at this with an angle of what we agree on, what we have in common, instead of defining it by red versus blue, liberal versus conservative, Republican versus Democrat.

My goal here isn't to change your mind about anything, to convince you to "switch sides" or to shame you for not agreeing with me on other topics that go hand in hand with this one. And it's definitely not to take your guns or make it OK for someone else to.

It's to identify that there actually is a common goal here that's not so much political, as it is human. It's this: Kids don't have to die in their classrooms. It's not a given. It doesn't have to happen.

Are you still with me? Great. I'm going to take a second and acknowledge that it may feel like I'm ramping up to add a sneaky argument, or slip in a dig against previous actions by a politician or political party, or like I'm going to pull the rug out with some aggressive zinger... but I'm not.

"OK, lady," you might be saying. "Just what are you getting at then?"

A 2017 Gallup study found that Americans move on from school shootings in four days' time. That is bleak. So, let's not move on this time.

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Earlier this month, an essay in the Washington Post cited a 2017 Gallup study that found that, on average, Americans move on from school shootings in four days' time. That is bleak. Funerals for Uvalde did not even start until more than a week passed. The news cycle barely covered it.

So, let's not move on this time.

The Inland Northwest is home to folks across the political spectrum. I know there are people reading who do not and will not vote the way I do, and who I probably have very little in common with beyond those few things I outlined earlier.

But if we agree that kids should not be dying from mass shootings, we're already off to a great start.

Wherever you are on the specifics of gun legislation, whether you follow it closely or keep an intentional distance — whether you vote red or blue, whether you live in Washington or Idaho — if you feel strongly about this, please just keep talking about it. Tell someone. A friend. A family member. A co-worker. A neighbor. But please, stay with the issue. Especially if you are a gun owner, because your insight is crucial right now.

I don't want to assume that wading into an issue like this one comes naturally or easily for everyone. It doesn't for me, but it does get easier with practice. If you're not sure how to start, allow me to make a few suggestions.

If you're saddened by school shootings and you:

Don't mind a few more rules or hoops to jump through when it comes to buying or maintaining your guns, let elected officials know. Call them during business hours to speak to someone, call them after hours to leave a message or email them (there are lots of templates online for this that you can copy and paste in seconds if that's your preference). On the flip side, if you're saddened by the idea of school shootings and do mind more hoops to jump through, let them know that, too. Give lawmakers something to work with.

Have money to burn: Consider supporting a nonprofit or advocacy group that represents your interests.

Have time to spare, and feel like leaving your house: Show up somewhere. There are marches, there are groups, there are meetings.

Have time to spare, and don't feel like leaving your house: Do some research and get more detail about the current state of this issue and potential legislation in the works.

Use social media: Don't wait until the next school shooting to discuss. Figure out which friends or family members are also thinking about this.

Are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue: Start small. Take one tiny step. And then another. They will add up.

Maybe it's risky to encourage people I don't know, who might disagree with me, to get involved with a cause that I'm passionate about. Even if it is, it doesn't feel like as much of a risk as letting the conversation dwindle. Or as much of a risk as what kids face in their classrooms every day. ♦

Spokane writer Dena Ogden's work has appeared in The Atlantic, Bustle, Romper, Refinery29 and more. She also writes contemporary fiction, and swears some of her novels are actually finished.

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