By April 1, 2021, there were 126 mass shootings in the United States. Four hundred and eighty-one deaths. In the past three weeks, four made national news. Atlanta, Georgia. Boulder, Colorado. Orange County, California, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Since then, in the time we've been organizing this event, the Gun Violence Archive has listed 24 more mass shootings, four of those occurring in Texas. We started organizing 15 days ago.
This surge emphasizes what we already know to be true: gun violence will continue to rise in drastic numbers if we do not unite to end it. However, these mass shootings, continuously enabled by legislative neglect, are only a symptom of the violence that follows a failure to disarm hatred. Thus, as we stand united in our mission to end gun violence, we must address the intersectionality of its roots and its ramifications in racist, xenophobic, anti-LGBTQ+, militaristic, and imperialistic sentiments.
We demand an end to gun violence because the rise in racism and xenophobia has emboldened gun-wielding white supremacists to shed blood in our communities. We are here because the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans has been made far more deadly as perpetrators arm themselves with firearms. We stand in solidarity with the Stop Asian Hate movement because the wave of xenophobia and racism that is affecting the Asian American community is rooted in the exact same hatred that fuels mass shootings. We refuse to stand by while the NRA and the gun lobby base their profits off of white supremacist ideologies by enabling violence and capitalizing off of the fear of communities who experience it.
We demand an end to gun violence because our brothers, sisters, and siblings in the Black community are systemically oppressed by the militarization and use of firearms by law enforcement. We stand with Black Lives Matter because communities of color disproportionately experience the impacts of underinvestment and over-policing that inevitably lead to poverty and gun violence. Together we must disarm hate by reforming our police systems and passing gun violence prevention legislation so that perpetrators of violence that hold hate in their hearts can no longer hold guns in their hands.
We demand an end to gun violence because our LGBTQ+ family and loved ones fall in disproportionate numbers at the ends of firearms. From hate crimes like the Pulse Shooting in Orlando, FL. to the suicide rate of transgender teenagers (ten times that of the general American population) where the weapon of choice is a gun, we understand that a world without gun violence cannot exist alongside a world with rampant intolerance.
We demand an end to gun violence because we will not accept the rising death toll of America's mental health crisis. In youth, in veterans, in marginalized communities, and in every community across the United States, mental health is an undeniable enabler of gun violence. While the gun lobby demonizes mental health as the cause for rising mass shootings, the truth is that the leading cause of firearm-related deaths remains suicide. Through the equitable provision of resources and destigmatization, we can help the countless victims of abuse-driven or self-inflicted gun violence.
Finally, as we stand on land stolen from indigenous peoples, we demand an end to the gun violence that enabled colonizers to pillage native land, contributed to the genocide of indigenous peoples, and continues to drive the abduction and murder of indigenous peoples at the hands of police and predators.
We acknowledge and thank the countless Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Frontline organizers that have paved the path for us to stand here today to demand justice and an end to gun violence. Now, we stand together to demand that our representatives take action to protect the millions of people impacted by the preventable, fatal, and traumatic effects of gun violence.
Gun violence prevention is not a controversial issue. Gun violence prevention is not a partisan issue. Gun violence is an American issue. We demand that our leaders, representatives, and judges on the local, state, and federal levels step up to their pledge to serve their communities and act now to disarm hate and end gun violence.
Locally, we demand that Houston City Officials…
Pass a “Lie and Try” City Ordinance requiring gun dealers to notify law enforcement of any background check system failures where a firearm purchase is denied,
Implement comprehensive police reform, including strengthening the misconduct review process with a complete overhaul of the Independent Police Oversight Board (IPOB),
Invest in more Crisis Intervention Training for the Houston Police Department,
Establish independent election administration offices in the counties surrounding Houston, similar to those established by Harris County.
Change articles 26 and 30 of the Houston Police Officers Union contract to curb officer involved shootings and hold officers accountable for their actions: no more 48 hours to prepare a case without questioning after an incident, and no more monopoly on adjudication by the city and the union
Rejection of donations from the Houston Police Officers Union and the NRA
Statewide, we demand that our Elected Officials…
End the practice of straw purchases by passing HB 4037 and SB 206 preventing those eligible to purchase firearms from buying firearms for those who are not,
Speak out and vote against voter suppression strategies like HB 6, SB 7, and partisan gerrymandering that make it more difficult to vote than purchase a firearm in Texas.
Federally, we demand that our Representatives…
End the sale of assault rifles, automatic weapons, and large-capacity magazines,
Close the Gun Show Loophole that allows buyers to purchase a weapon without a federal background check
Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to combat the disenfranchisement of voters in states like Texas and Georgia that aim to suppress the vote.
While these demands are only the first steps in disarming hate and the institutions that perpetuate it, we still face an uphill battle on every level from local to federal. There is no doubt that our words here today on this paper and in this rally, matter; but what matters more is how we follow them up. 30 seconds to pass on this letter, 2 minutes to calling our elected officials that never hear from us, an extra 5 minutes to register to vote, 10 minutes to register 2 friends, 15 minutes to submit a written testimony to the state legislature, 30 minutes for a lobby meeting: these are the moments that make a world of difference.
Through our “Disarm Hate” Rally, March For Our Lives Houston hopes to bring together a community of activists in the Houston Area to fight for our legislative demands and against gun violence as a whole.
Awaiting legislative change,
March For Our Lives Houston