1/ There are no excuses for gun violence, an autobiographical essay (#GunControl)
I grew up with guns. By the time I was twelve I owned two rifles. Every time my father took me shooting he would ask, “are you excited?”
I would feign a “Yes!”
I grew up with guns. By the time I was twelve I owned two rifles. Every time my father took me shooting he would ask, “are you excited?”
I would feign a “Yes!”
2/ We would drive out to nearby farms and hunt pheasant and guinea fowl. But the thought of taking a life — even a bird’s — was nauseating to me. I would miss, sometimes by mistake, sometimes on purpose.
3/ My father was an avid fisherman and hunter. Although he only shot birds, he was drafted into the army where he learned to shoot from white men. He took lives and watched lives being taken. Most of his memories from the war were erased by trauma.
4/ Unlike my dad, I wasn’t cut out for guns. (Or rugby or cricket for that matter).
When my father wasn’t forcing me to shoot or fish, I was playing with a My Little Pony doll, baking brownies, and secretly playing dress up with my grandmother’s saris and makeup.
When my father wasn’t forcing me to shoot or fish, I was playing with a My Little Pony doll, baking brownies, and secretly playing dress up with my grandmother’s saris and makeup.
5/ Growing up queer in hyper-masculine Zimbabwe, I was alienated by guns from my own father.
Guns reinforce toxic masculinity. They teach young boys that it’s ok to own someone’s life. They concentrate power with men who have low self-esteem, boosting their egos artificially.
Guns reinforce toxic masculinity. They teach young boys that it’s ok to own someone’s life. They concentrate power with men who have low self-esteem, boosting their egos artificially.
6/ Over the years, we have been burgled or broken into multiple times.
My dad said we needed to keep guns in the home for our own safety.
My dad said we needed to keep guns in the home for our own safety.
7/ In 2009, a burglar held a gun to my sister’s head in front of my parents while he forced them to empty the safe.
A gun was close by; my dad could’ve tried reaching for it.
A gun was close by; my dad could’ve tried reaching for it.
8/ But by the time someone has pulled a gun on you, they have the power.
To reach for the gun, would’ve been to risk my sister’s life for the safe’s contents.
We haven’t used the guns since then. They are locked in a cabinet while we figure out how to safely dispose of them.
To reach for the gun, would’ve been to risk my sister’s life for the safe’s contents.
We haven’t used the guns since then. They are locked in a cabinet while we figure out how to safely dispose of them.
9/ As a physician and mental health researcher, I can also confidently say that gun violence is not a mental health issue, it’s a *public health* issue. See the work of @meghanranney in @NEJM nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
#ThisIsOurLane
#ThisIsOurLane
10/ Guns don’t protect us, and they never will. They are the physical manifestation of a culture of misogyny and hate.
11/ Until we have #GunControl, we will continue to put power in the hands of white supremacists, everyday citizens, and even kids. Power that stretches far beyond what any individual should have: to take life or let live.
12/ If you haven’t read it, this thread was inspired by Walter Johnson’s 2018 @BostonReview essay, “Guns in the Family,” which should be required reading for all this week.
bostonreview.net/race-gender-se…
bostonreview.net/race-gender-se…
Cc: those who may find this interesting: @WaGunResponsib @DrWilfredoM @ReganHMarsh @drlouiseivers @DrMaryTBassett @colleenmfarrell @gradydoctor @arghavan_salles @ChaseTMAnderson @jack_turban @RyanMarino @bradybuzz @CSGV @drjessigold @jessicahalem @MassMedical @AdairaLandryMD
@pedsmd2b @COREIMpodcast @ETSshow @kubatana @aoglasser @AmyOxentenkoMD @CPSolvers @DGlaucomflecken @LashNolen @oni_blackstock @DrSarahWakeman @JHU_GVP @Everytown @paimadhu @uche_blackstock @Amy_Siskind
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
