This week almost broke me. Daphne came home sick Monday and missed her last two days of school. She was devastated not to be able to say goodbye to her friends and teacher before summer break began. And then Tuesday, I learned about the devastating mass shooting at a school in Texas and couldn’t help but feel relief that I didn’t have to send my kids back the next day. We shouldn’t have to live this way. If I’m honest, it’s surprising to me how controversial this issue is. I grew up with a father who hunts, and firearms safely stored inside our home. I’m not here to bash the 2nd Amendment, or intentional offend anyone… except maybe the power-hungry politicians and NRA  But there are opinions (many of them), and then there are facts. If you’ve ever listened to me, you KNOW I love data. So much so, that I can make a case for freelancing over blogging, network marketing, affiliate marketing, and pretty much any other work from home business. (If you want those stats, let me know.) Numbers don’t lie. They aren’t emotional, influenced by politicians or parents or the media. Here are some stats about gun violence that you may not know (which should outrage you, regardless of your stance on guns): Every day, more than 110 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded. Access to a gun triples the risk of death by suicide. Access to a gun doubles the risk of death by homicide. Access to a gun in a domestic violence situation makes it five times more likely that a woman will be killed. Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens. Read that last one again. So where do we go from here? Yesterday this week I did a Facebook Live talking about how tragedies like this can make me shut down. I go numb so that I don’t get so overly emotional and wallow in helplessness. But the truth is – none of us are helpless. We all have the ability to do something. Even if you only have one hour. Or one dollar. Or one conversation. It matters. Here are the things I’ve done this week. Hopefully these resources make taking action a little bit easier for you. Check out this resource for tips on how to talk to your children about violence, shared by fellow Free Mama and educator Katie Mack. Listen to this podcast with Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts. Easily contact your representatives and demand change through Everytown.org. And if you want to join Amy and I for the Summer SurTHRIVAL Plan Workshop on June 10 at noon CT, 15% of your registration is going to be donated to Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action works to close loopholes in gun law and create a culture of responsible gun ownership. Plus, I’m personally going to match all donations made through this event. I also hope that we don’t go “back to normal”. I’m tired of it. I’m exhausted of the sensational posts on social media for a week after a tragedy. Then it’s business as usual. Whether it’s racism. Violence. Homophobia. This isn’t normal. We must create a new normal. Let’s love each other and keep our babies safe, Mama. |
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