The attempted shooting on the New York subway brings into focus the need to act in response to gun violence in America. So far, no one has died, but there is a different and worse tragedy–New Yorkers are afraid to use public transportation. What advocates of using guns to counter guns forget is that the real tragedy of mass shootings and terrorism is the way they force people to live in fear as they go about their everyday lives. Nowhere is this more apparent than when listening to people who use the New York subway talk about their fears, and their intention to find other modes of transportation. This comes at a time when getting people onto public transportation is more important than ever. Public transportation is still suffering low ridership because of fears of COVID; and, with oil prices soaring, energy conservation has never been more important. This is the exact worst moment for people to be afraid of the subway system.
Mayor Adams is right to act and to act quickly, and the things that he has put in place are not necessarily bad. Upping patrols and cracking down on less serious crimes may prove helpful in getting people’s confidence back. However, these measures will not stop crimes like this–that will take sensible gun control. The mayor recognizes this. He also recognizes that no one municipality can do it on their own. This is a moment to remind ourselves that a majority of the entire nation supports common sense gun control.
What is at stake is not whether gun control would have stopped this particular incident. What is at stake is that Americans know, and are afraid because, there is no sensible gun control legislation. They know that this is not a one off. Gun violence for the entire nation has become a daily fear. That’s not something more guns can stop. Arming common citizens will not deter people like Frank James. The only way to prevent people like him from attempting violence is by making it hard for people like him to arm themselves.In order to restore a sense of security people need to know that there are legal structures in place that are protecting them from this kind of crime. Otherwise, mass shooters and terrorists have won the battle before they ever pick up arms. We must go after mass shooters proactively. Take the battle to them. Instead, we are continually told by gun rights advocates to be reactive, wait for the shooter to start to fire. But, if we wait for the shooter to come to us we will never be free of the worst tragedy–the fact that the entire American population now is forced to live in fear that someone who logically should not have access to a gun can turn on innocent people at any time and at any place. Someone with a gun being there after the shooting starts does nothing to reassure people as they try to go about their daily lives.
Progressive Without Apology 