We Must Stand Together To Protect Our Kids

I have two kids. A boy in 6th grade and a girl in high school. I love them dearly.

Every time I hear about another school shooting, my first terrified thought is: Did it happen in their school? I have a shameful moment of relief when I realize that they’re safe (this time), followed immediately by sadness for the families and communities where it happened, then a sense of helplessness, and then rage. 

I think: What’s wrong with us? Why are we so helpless? Why can’t we stop this? What is wrong with our system? Why don’t our lawmakers care?  But not today.

Today, a switch flipped. I realized it’s not about them—it’s about us. It’s about me (I’m the founder of a company that powers political action for goodness' sake)... There is something we can do. There’s a lot more we can do. 

We’re going to put our kids first.

We are not helpless. We don’t live in Russia or China where we can’t speak up without fear of being put in jail, where we can’t protest. We live in a democracy. Our lawmakers will listen if we make them listen. Yes, it may be painful. Yes, it will be difficult. But we’ve done it before. We celebrate and honor the stories of those who challenged the status quo going back to our very founders. Every hard-earned right and freedom in our history has happened when people united and demanded change. It happened then, and it can happen now. 

And, for our kids, it must happen now. 

Let’s start with the basics

Guns are way too easy to get. Firearms are the direct enabler of an epidemic of violence that is killing our youth. Everywhere. Gun violence affects everyone—from families in our inner cities to those in our rural communities. And it’s only getting worse. 

There have been more than 130 mass shootings in America in 2023. And the number of mass shootings is on the rise--in the last three years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings. That’s almost two a day. 

The brutal reality of gun violence is that most of the perpetrators of mass shootings don’t care that they will die in the process. There’s no criminal to prosecute, and children are dead. Children are dead.

The only way to stop this madness is to keep these people from getting a gun. 

As my local police chief said at a community safety meeting recently, "The way to end gun violence on our streets is to get rid of guns."

Don’t quote the Second Amendment. Don’t debate state rights and federal rights. Don’t cite Supreme Court precedent. There is no argument in defense of guns that should be above our children’s safety.

The Political Will

Politicians should not care more about Americans’ guns than America’s children. Congress and the president must work together now to protect our kids. Which party controls which chamber or branch is irrelevant. Even in today’s divided government, it will only take a handful of lawmakers to come together to save our children.

And we’re here to help them.

To remind them that it’s not just our children, it’s their children, it’s their grandchildren. 

Indeed, if our lawmakers can unite over the terrifying danger of a social media app from China that’s “hurting our kids,” then they absolutely should be able to come together around protecting our kids from guns. Gun violence is the number one cause of death for U.S. children and teens.

In other comparable countries, death by firearms is not even close to being within the top four causes of death in children. 

Meaning: this is a solvable problem that has been solved.  This is not some radical proposal.  Most large, wealthy countries have figured out how to allow guns while also keeping their children safe. We can learn from them and immediately implement some of their solutions.

We need a “Protect Our Kids” czar reporting to the president, and we absolutely need a congressional committee dedicated to protecting our kids and reducing gun violence. 

And we need to do this now. This is a pandemic-level threat. It deserves a pandemic-level response. 

What we will do

Unlike most media sites, Causes is an action-taking platform. We are literally built for this. 

Starting today, we’ll be manning the digital barricades with powerful, impactful actions that everyone can take—from dedicated non-profits you can support, to messages you can send to your lawmakers, to information about local and national marches, to sharing inspiring news of parents and communities standing up for their safety, and much, much more.

We’ll circulate ideas from you and engage in conversation about what can be done. 

We’ll help identify areas where we can have the most impact, supply action kits, share inspirational art that we can wear in support of this effort, and let people know where we can peacefully organize to show our support for our kids. And to demand that our leaders put our kids first.

Good Trouble

The one thing our lawmakers fear most is an army of enraged parents.

All movements have a moment where they go from fringe to mainstream. This movement already has the support, we all already agree. We just need to work together. We need to show our leaders that we care about protecting our kids, and that we won’t stand for inaction any longer, that we will steadily increase the pressure on them until they act.

I’m inspired by the people of Israel who recently stood up to a dangerous and unprecedented power grab by their coalition-elected minority leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu attempted to remove a critical check and balance in their society, Israel’s Supreme Court. In response, over months, the people of Israel - from generals to students, from bus drivers to pilots - protested, drove awareness, and ultimately shut down the country until Netanyahu relented (for now). 

Will that be necessary in America? Let’s hope not. But let’s also be prepared to shut down this country so our children can grow up in it.

Here’s what you can do right now:

• First - think about what you’re willing to do to protect your children
• Second - realize you’re not alone, we are everywhere, and together we are powerful
• Third - commit to doing something every day

I had a dream last night of parents everywhere in America stopping work for one hour, one Friday, every month, and standing around our schools holding hands.  

For our kids,

Bart Myers