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Guns have been the leading cause of death for young people for three years in a row. For Black children, it’s been the leading cause of death for almost twenty years. But nothing about the gun violence epidemic is inevitable. This is a choice that our leaders have made for us through their inaction, and it’s a choice we refuse to live with.
We’re fighting back against generations of entrenched forces, but we’re up to the task for a simple reason: We have no other choice. Our leaders have abdicated their moral responsibility to keep us safe, so we’re taking matters into our own hands and working to build a safer, more just world for all of us. Here are just a few of our priorities we’re fighting for to build that world.
Our Agenda in Action
Check out some of our policy wins and calls to action
President Biden Fulfills March For Our Lives’ Demand to Create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Press Release
Tackling the root causes of gun violence
Learning from generations of activists, civil rights leaders, and so many others who came before us, we’ve developed our own framework for change to get to a world that is just, equitable, and where we can all thrive thrive.
But it isn’t enough to simply fight for universal background checks or an assault weapons ban, though those are critical. In order to truly make the gun violence epidemic obsolete, we also have to address the root causes of gun violence—the things that cause someone to pick up a gun to hurt themselves or others in the first place. If we can address those root causes we’ll not only be safer, we’ll live in a healthier, more just, more beautiful future. We call those root causes the “Five Forces that Fuel Gun Violence,” and they hold the key to a transformed future.
The “Five Forces”
Gun violence is a cultural problem. Gun glorification is the belief embedded in our culture that power and safety are derived from guns. In this country, we put guns on a pedestal and prioritize firearm access over access to human needs. This makes guns extremely easy to access — often, easier than housing or medical care. The U.S. represents just 4% of the world’s population but owns about 40% of guns owned by civilians globally.
This is a problem of dominance. Armed supremacy is the use of guns and the threat of gun violence to reinforce power structures, hierarchies and status. It is how individuals or groups of people reinforce their perceived value relative to those with less power. It is how white supremacy and patriarchy survive.
Every time we see a police officer brutalize or kill a civilian — oftentimes someone who is BIPOC or disabled — that is armed supremacy in action.
Political apathy and corruption is the gradual destruction of the democratic principle that power comes from the people. It happens when politics fails to change lived outcomes for those it’s meant to serve. Politicians use voters to gain power for themselves, but the voters get little in return. People become apathetic because they are not valued or empowered. We need to change this equation by fighting for real, tangible change.
Poverty is the state of not having enough material possessions, income or resources to meet basic human needs. The communities facing the highest rates of everyday gun violence have been intentionally impoverished — systemically denied resources and opportunity by the state for generations.This is the design of oppression. When communities are forced into desperation and express that distress through gun violence, it’s because the system has already failed them. Guns fill the gap where resources are lacking
While we fight to end gun violence, there is another mass-scale public health emergency happening simultaneously. Millions of Americans are struggling with undiagnosed and untreated mental illness and lack of access to mental health support and care.
People with mental illness are often mischaracterized as being a threat to others, when in fact, they are at higher risk of becoming a victim of gun violence themselves, including suicide. They are 16 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement compared to people who do not suffer with mental illness.⁴ In U.S. suicide deaths, firearms are used approximately half of the time.⁵
As our movement grows, and we keep winning, we continue to update our work, conduct more research, and fight for new and novel solutions to end gun violence. We’re proud to be on the leading edge of the fight for gun safety and healthier communities.
