This Non-American Has Gone Viral For Comparing How The US Handles School Shootings Vs. How The UK Handled It The First Time Successfully
A Glasgow-born man named Francis Maxwell who now resides in the US has caught the attention of over 900,000 people after he shared this video recalling the first and only school shooting that happened in the UK:
"Did you know that Scotland once had a mass shooting? I was about five years old and I remember it. A gunman entered Dunblane Primary School and he killed 16 students and a teacher," he said in his video.
"Within two weeks, the UK government got together and enacted strict gun laws."
"Within the 26 years since they enacted those strict gun laws, how many school shootings do you think Scotland — and the United Kingdom as a whole — have had? ZERO."
"We don't have to live like this. We just don't," he concluded in the video.
BuzzFeed spoke to Francis, who said even though he was only 5 years old at the time of the Dunblane shooting, he still remembers how his parents reacted to it. "It floored my parents, in a 9/11 sort of way. Even when you’re young, you can tell when something has struck adults around you, and to them/so many in Scotland, what happened was truly incomprehensible."
Five months into 2022, the US has already had 27 school shootings. And people on TikTok are making videos using things like the Alphabet Song to put into perspective just how many mass shootings the US has seen this year — 214 to be exact.
Francis hopes his video helps people realize that this is a choice our country is making. "The richest and self-proclaimed ‘freest’ country in the world chooses this nightmare. Politicians are choosing to prioritize the gun lobby over lives, over children, these were just babies. But they’re ‘pro-life,’ remember? In Scotland, it took just two weeks after the truly incomprehensible Dunblane shooting for elected officials to pass the Firearms (Amendment) Act. In America, it’s not even been two weeks since the Buffalo shooting and here we are, having the same conversation time and time again. It’s a choice, and that’s what I wanted to show."
"There are decisions made daily that make it easier for people who want to commit such atrocities to do so. In Texas, Greg Abbott lowered the restricted age for carrying a handgun from 21 to 18. He passed a permitless carry law that law enforcement in Texas were against! It’s not just that politicians are not doing enough to prevent the next massacre, they’re actively doing things to enable it."
"Oftentimes, as an immigrant who speaks out on issues, I’m told ‘if you hate it, go back to where you came from.' But I’ve always argued immigrants love this country just as much, if not more, than those who are here by birthright. We choose to live here, and countless risk their lives to do so. But that doesn’t mean it comes with an unwavering subscription to the atrocities," Francis said.
"I’ve fallen in love with aspects of the US that anchor me here. The reality is, this is my home and therefore my fight. Like Baldwin said, ‘I love America more than any other country in the world, and that’s why I have the right to criticize her perpetually.’ I want to see this country live up to the ideals it claims to uphold but falls drastically short of. Because it’s not just about me, it’s about the people who are most at risk. I have the luxury of saying ‘I can just move,’ whereas most don’t."
