I Was in Two Shooting Scares in Four Months
At the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), we advocate for gun safety and gun violence prevention around the country throughout the year. It’s no different for our legislative fellows and interns — today’s post comes from Lauren Fine, Master of Social Work student at the University of Michigan and NCJW summer legislative fellow.
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I heard hundreds of feet on the pavement, going in all directions. I saw people frantically looking around and friends scanning the panicked crowd for one another. I heard the sound of bodies hitting the ground and people running around them, if not over them.
I now feel intimately familiar with this scene, as I have witnessed it twice in the last four months. The first time was at the University of Michigan, where I am pursuing my masters in social work. Hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered on the quad for a vigil following the tragic shootings in two New Zealand mosques in March, only to be interrupted by a police officer rushing through the crowd, shouting at us to run. The second (and most recent) time was in Washington, DC where I’m spending my summer at the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). A few weeks ago I attended Capitol Pride, marching in the parade with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. We had only walked a few blocks when panic ensued: hundreds started pushing and running, toppling police barricades and creating total chaos, due to perceived gunshots. Preschoolers in rainbow t-shirts were hysterically crying, teens were frantically trying to call their parents, and many people — seemingly in a state of shock — were standing up and limping to safety.
While the vigil in Michigan was a gathering of mourning and the pride parade in DC an event of celebration, both were assemblies of people from marginalized communities looking for a safe, comforting space to gather and heal from the pains of oppression. Most importantly, these events are very real and very traumatizing, even though they were “scares” and not actual mass shooting events. I showed up to both events with other Jews — still healing from the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in October — guided by my Jewish values and commitment to exemplifying solidarity and strength in community.
Admittedly, I now carry a small yet noticeable twinge of fear when in some public spaces. However, I don’t let that fear stop me from attending synagogue on Shabbat and I don’t intend to let it stop me from showing up in solidarity, celebration, or allyship.
I never want to experience a shooting scare again. But in reality, I most likely will, as will you. The source of our fear is the continued truth we live in everyday: that our government has the ability to make the echoes of “never again” a promise and priority, yet anyone can obtain firearms and use them indiscriminately. When the fear becomes too difficult to handle, or my hope for the state of our country dwindles, I’ve found the only way to cope is to channel passion into action.
S 42, the Background Check Expansion Act (similar to HR 8) would require a background check on nearly every gun sale or transfer and has already been passed by the House of Representatives. Current federal law only requires background checks for gun sales at licensed dealers. As a result, an estimated one in five gun transactions take place without a licensed dealer, including online sales and gun shows. S 42 is one important way to keep our communities safe, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) must bring this bill to the Senate floor for a vote — for the safety and the future of our nation.
I am so grateful that these were only scares, but it’s made me more aware than ever that the work to end gun violence (of any kind) is far from over. While Americans beg for change to gun laws, our legislators weigh their options and people die in schools, in homes, and in the streets. However, to me, and frankly everyone else who imagines and fights for a future where 100 lives each day aren’t lost to gun violence, the solution could not be simpler: the time for safety and reform is long overdue. One life lost to a potentially regulated weapon and a glaring problem with a clearly supported solution is one life too many. Point blank: the fear and grim reality of mass shootings, or even false alarms, shouldn’t exist, especially during times of healing and pride. Our country has a lot of work to do, but there is no doubt that the actions we take today can make way for a safer and more just tomorrow.
Special Guest Post by Lauren Fine.
