8 possible actions
“there is no such thing as other people’s children.”
If you are feeling called to take action in light of this week's events, here are a few resources to read, learn, take informed action, or do something nice for someone who might be having a hard time this week.
Buy your kiddos' teacher a coffee or Venmo them $5 to have a treat on you.
Buy a book from Parnassus Books, located down the street from Covenant.
Donate counseling to those who have been impacted by the Covenant shooting.
Here's where Republicans and Democrats agree on gun control - if you are contacting local representatives and asking for action related to common sense gun control, you may consider focusing on one or more of these items, which surveys show have support across political aisles.
Call your representatives and ask them to co-sponsor the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act. Could this be a pathway toward bipartisan collaboration on this issue?
Read: Why do Americans own AR-15s? A few years ago, a gun-owning friend lovingly told me that I had no idea what I was talking about when I was talking about gun control and reposting articles from social media. He was right. Since our conversation, I've tried to better educate myself. For me, one aspect of informed action is understanding hearts, minds, and values on all sides of heated topics. This article provides interesting context behind the statistic that 1 in 20 Americans own an AR-15.
Avoid othering and disparaging people who think differently than we do. While reading the comments section on my favorite blog, there were many comments referencing “awful Republicans,” with one comment going so far as to suggest that people refuse to visit their parents if they live in a Republican state. As with many heated issues, there is often more middle ground among the general population than what the media presents, especially within the general population. When we paint others as the enemy, we often push each other into our respective corners, a place in which few solutions are found.
Check on the people in our life. Have conversations. Ask questions. Remain curious.
What else would you add?
