Director's Take

Do We Really Need the Guns?

07-26-2026

Dear Friend of Downtown,

We’ve become numb to gun violence. Mass shootings at schools full of children didn’t change anything. We track homicides and watch the numbers go up and down. For the last handful of years, we hear about a shooting every week, and rather than question the availability and saturation of guns in our communities, we focus on the neighborhood in which it occurred.
 
I don’t understand why guns have become political fare; the increasing rate of gun violence is utterly astonishing, and the state legislature just made it easier for 18-20 year olds to conceal carry in this year’s legislative session.
 
It is NOT anti-American to pass red flag laws, require background checks, or implement waiting periods. All of those still provide the opportunity for someone to eventually own a gun, and guess what, nobody’s rights would be infringed upon.
 
I still question the need for assault rifles and high powered magazines, and wonder why state-acquired guns aren’t destroyed… but those are the touchier subjects that people think we can’t talk about. We need to start talking.