How do we address gun violence? Get more women in office | Opinion
So far this year, we’ve seen more than 200 mass shootings in the U.S., putting 2023 on track to be the worst in recent history. Every year, more than 37,000 people are killed with guns, but though gun violence affects every American, the weight of this crisis is not felt equally.
Guns are the No. 1 killer of children and teens in America. Tragically, neighbors just 180 miles west of Knoxville felt this painful reality firsthand on March 27 when gun violence took the lives of three children and three adults at the Covenant School in Nashville.
Studies show gun violence has disproportionate effects on communities of color: Black Americans represent the majority of gun homicide victims and are 10 times more likely than white Americans to die by gun homicide. Furthermore, in an average year, over 10,300 hate crimes involve a gun — more than 28 each day.
As the founder of She Should Run, an organization committed to growing the diverse pool of women leaders in elected office, the effects of gun violence on women cannot be understated. Nearly two-thirds of intimate partner homicides in the U.S. are committed with a gun, and nearly 1 million women in the U.S. alive today have reported being shot or shot at by an intimate partner, according to Everytown Research and Policy.
The stats, while horrific, are not surprising. Numerous polls have found that a majority of Americans want stricter gun laws, and an April 2023 Fox News Poll found a majority of voters would prefer specific gun safety measures rather than arming citizens as a solution to gun violence. So why aren’t we seeing more meaningful and immediate actions to stop this madness?
Hear more Tennessee voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought-provoking columns.
I’ll tell you: those most disproportionately affected by gun violence are not in the rooms where decisions are made. Making up only 14.4% of 132 seats in the Tennessee General Assembly, women — particularly women of color — are vastly underrepresented. Across the country, women’s representation hovers at or below 30% of all 500,000 nationwide elected offices. And those percentages decrease significantly for Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ and other marginalized communities. There we have it: women are the most affected by gun violence, yet they continue to be underrepresented in the rooms where change happens.
With the majority of Americans on the same page about the urgent need to address gun violence, it’s time we shift the focus from how we are going to do this to who is going to do it.
Our research proves that women do not come to politics to fix a lack of representation. Like many of us, women are motivated by the issues affecting their daily lives. If gun violence is an issue driving a woman in your life to seek change, encourage her to consider the possibility of elected leadership.
Elected leaders can pass legislation that promotes gun safety and support policies that address the root causes of gun violence, like poverty, mental illness and domestic violence, at the local as well as federal level.
It’s time we meet women where they are on the issues that matter to them. If the fear of gun violence is keeping you up, let this be the moment you take action. Tell a woman in your life she should run for office, support her when she goes for it or, better yet, consider it yourself.
Erin Loos Cutraro is founder and CEO of the nonpartisan nonprofit She Should Run. Join her, Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson (District 90) and other panelists for a June 1 online conversation about how women can address gun violence in their communities.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: How do we address gun violence? Get more women in office
