Mass shootings are, unfortunately, becoming all too common in the United States (Mass Shooting Tracker: 371 recorded in 2015; 403 as of November 1st 2016). In fact, during his tenure, President Barack Obama has formally addressed the nation on the subject of gun violence 25 times (on average every 112 days) and has repetitively made impassioned pleas for Congress to pass stricter laws. In June 2016, just eight days after the 49 people lost their lives and another 53 were wounded in the deadliest mass shooting in US history, President Obama once again implored lawmakers, and Congress, once again, blocked efforts to pass common-sense gun reform.
Last Tuesday saw the first major election about to take place since that tragic shooting, and to mark the occasion, Action Against Gun Violence urged Americans to vote for Senators who support common sense gun reform with “The Speech No One Wants To Hear,” which imagines what the next presidential mass shooting speech could look like. People around the world have shared their sentiments on the results of this historic campaign and now that we have a president-elect with no substantial political background, the US is anxious, now more than ever, to understand what a Donald Trump presidency will be like.
At the current rate of mass shootings in the nation, it is almost a guarantee that Trump will need to hold a mass shooting speech within his first year in office. As the videos were created before the election on November 8, both of the presidential candidates are featured, with the footage compiled from previous speeches. Both videos conclude with a call to action to voters in order to make an informed decision by voting against reelecting senators who continue to vote against gun violence protection. The video shows a map where we can locate the names of these senators who voted “No” in the June 2016 background checks proposals and are up for reelection.
With the media largely focused on the divisiveness the 2016 US Election managed to inflict on both the country and the world at large, it's honestly refreshing to see a completely bipartisan campaign with a benevolent agenda. Simple. Powerful stuff. Sadly it didn't work, as 20 of these 21 senators were re-elected last Tuesday, and the republican party will now gain control of the House, the Senate and the White House. And we all know how the Republicans love to fetishise their guns! The sad reality is that this existing congress passing proposals that will support gun violence prevention efforts in the near future is now far from likely. You voted for it folks.
