What the ‘black-on-black crime’ fallacy misses about race and gun deaths #moleg @MomsDemand #mogov #Missouri washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07…
I’ve heard the racist “what about black on black crime” fallacy so often from people who oppose stronger gun violence prevention laws. Instead we see the current rush in Missouri for laws that are advertised as “tough on crime” but don’t address the real issue.
We are seeing skyrocketing gun violence in Missouri, but too many misunderstand the scope and nature of the problem. As this article points out, most gun deaths in the U.S. are actually suicides by gun. Here in Missouri, 56% of gun deaths are suicides. everytownresearch.org/everystat 
The Washington University School of Public Health’s Gun Violence Initiative also helps describe the larger picture of gun violence in Missouri, including homicides and suicides. The map allows you to compare homicides and suicides across the state. publichealth.wustl.edu/missouri-gun-r…
As noted by Gun Violence Initiative in the previous link, “Gun violence is often perceived as an urban problem.”
“However, by separating out gun-related homicides from suicides, we see that in Missouri, it is gun-related homicides that are an urban problem. In fact, many rural counties are affected by gun-related suicides at higher rates than in neighboring urban counties.”
And many of these gun suicide victims, as noted in the Washington Post article, are white men. This is what we miss about the gun violence crisis when we only talk about homicide and fail to see this other crisis in our midst.
Disturbingly, data from the Great Depression and the Great Recession suggest the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis could bring a 20 to 30 percent increase in firearm suicides in the U.S. this year, resulting in 20 additional gun suicides per day in 2020. @Everytown
You can read more about that here where there is also a link to the report itself in the summary: momsdemandaction.org/new-everytown-…
In his book, “Dying of Whiteness,” @JonathanMetzl shines a spotlight on the blind spot we Missourians have when it comes to our lax gun laws and the impact on gun suicide in our rural areas. dyingofwhiteness.com
These aren’t just statistics. The white male dentist I saw as a child in rural Missouri by gun suicide a couple of weeks ago.
When Missouri lawmakers tout “tough on crime” laws to address the gun violence crisis, they both fail to address the specific issue they see (homicide) and the one they ignore (suicide).
Missouri’s lax gun laws including the passage of permitless carry repeal of required background check for all gun purchases are contributing factors for the homicide spike: americanprogress.org/issues/guns-cr…
If Missouri lawmakers are truly serious about lowering gun violence in all its forms, they need to shift focus. Research shows that minimum sentence laws, like the one just signed by the Governor, do not have an impact on violent crime or crime overall. google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.…
Instead, Missouri elected leaders should focus on evidence-based solutions. Missouri should invest $4 million of unspent VOCA funds to support gun violence survivors and eligible violence intervention programs like Cure Violence St. Louis and @KCMothersCharge.
These programs serve survivors and individuals who are at the highest risk of shooting or being shot to stabilize communities and reduce future violence. Read more from @MomsDemand here: momsdemandaction.org/holiday-weeken…
What can you do? Vote for lawmakers who will address the full scope of the gun violence problem. Find the gun sense candidates in your area at gunsensevoter.org.
And help Missouri @MomsDemand hold our current leaders accountable for their years of excuses for failing to address this problem. Too many are in the pocket of the gun lobby, but we’re growing stronger every day. Text READY to 64433 and join one of our upcoming virtual events.
One of the ways we address suicide prevention is through our Be SMART safety program. Learn more about this at besmartforkids.org.
As a final note, it’s clear Missouri lawmakers are finally feeling pressure to do something about gun violence after years of dismissing the problem as a necessary trade off for the “freedom” to carry guns anywhere, everywhere, all the time.
Missourians have rightly forced them to do something, and now our challenge is to make sure they do the things that will actually address the problem in all of its forms. We need to address gun violence for the public health crisis that it is.
