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Welcome to the Middle.
After last week’s post and Instagram reels, I received message after message echoing one lament:
I know. It’s a really big problem. And one that I will likely spend the rest of my life fighting. For today, I’m hoping that a discussion on gun control from the center will do a little bit to ease your pain and broaden your understanding.
In the recording above, I’m joined again by my husband, and this time, we are adopting two CENTER positions and having a discussion about gun control. Here are the things we cover:
our desire to stay in the messy middle, without being performative or utopian
definitions of the terms used in the gun control debate (you can also refer to this post from 2019)
what the second amendment says
status of stalled legislation in Congress and how the stage is set moving forward
discussion/debate of the common gun control reform suggestions, including:
a federal law raising the age that a person can own a firearm from 18 to 21?
banning AR-15s?
banning high-capacity magazines?
placing a tax on certain types of weapons?
arming teachers and/or placing armed officers at schools?
red flag laws?
a bigger push to enforce existing laws?
Remember, we are regular people (civilians, if you will), not experts, but we really wanted to bring this discussion to you.
If you would like to also listen to Sharon McMahon’s class on the history of gun control in America, you can find that here. I do not know how much longer it will be offered.
Congress Returns June 6 & 7
Congress is on a recess right now. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good time to call your representatives! I would, in fact, argue that it’s a great time so that they will have information to bring to the debates that are going to be happening as soon as they return from recess.
If you live in Missouri:
Senator Roy Blunt (R): 202-224-5721
Senator Josh Hawley (R): 202-224-6154
Go to house.gov, enter your zip code, and you can find out who your representative in the House is.
This is what I said when I called:
“Hi, my name is Sarah Bohl from zip code 65203. I do not need a response. I would like to let Senator ______ know that I would like: ___be succinct and specific___. My children attend Columbia Public Schools and I was terrified to drop them off this morning. Thank you and have a good day.”
Hit reply to this email and let me know if you have any questions or comments! I would love to hear from you.
Feeling Abandoned in the Political Landscape?