Trump Is Pretending Gun Violence Doesn’t Exist
We’re 100 days into Trump’s second term, and it’s looking bleak.
Americans are overwhelmed every day with important issues, problems, and changes impacting their lives. We face economic uncertainty, an erosion of civil liberties, and government policies that can change on a dime. The Trump administration is pretending everything is under control, but it’s clearly not.
The biggest signifier of this? Trump’s complete avoidance of gun violence. Neither he nor any senior member of his administration has spoken about addressing gun violence—the number one killer of kids and teens in this country—at all since taking office. It’s hard to imagine any president or administration fully ignoring something that claims the lives of nearly 50,000 Americans each year.
That’s not to say he hasn’t taken any gun-related actions—he’s done plenty of that. While he condemned the recent mass shooting at Florida State University when asked, he intentionally avoided discussing gun violence or doing anything to prevent what we know to be 100% preventable deaths and injuries. Instead, he claimed that “the gun doesn’t do the shooting” and that he has an “obligation to protect the Second Amendment.” He uttered no such commitment to protecting children or families.
Amidst a flood of declarations, executive orders, and impossible claims, the entire administration has deliberately avoided one of America’s most pressing public health crises.
Gun violence kills at least 125 people in America every day—more than car crashes, suffocation, and drownings. While we don’t know for sure—and his sweeping cuts to CDC personnel and programs have made it increasingly difficult to understand the full extent of this crisis—it’s fair to estimate that about 12,500 Americans have died from gun violence since Trump was sworn into office in January.
In fact, since Inauguration Day there have been at least 76 mass shootings across the United States.
Gun violence is so prominent and pervasive in our communities—why hasn’t Trump said anything about it?
Well, I have an idea. I’m sure the Trump administration knows just how popular commonsense gun safety measures are—and how unpopular the NRA, the NSSF, and the gun lobby as a whole has become. The vast majority of Americans, including Trump voters and gun owners, support policies to strengthen background checks, implement red flag laws, and require the safe storage of guns.
But supporting these popular policies goes directly against what his gun lobby and CEO friends want. So rather than acknowledging the issue and keeping families safe, Trump and his administration are just pretending it doesn’t exist.
But turning a blind eye doesn’t erase the problem. It doesn’t bring back the lives lost or heal devastating injuries. And it definitely doesn’t help prevent future tragedies.
Our nation’s relationship with gun violence is only going to get worse. We just need to look at what Trump’s done so far to see that. Without leaders who recognize this crisis for what it is and commit to saving lives, American children will continue to die. And we know exactly who is standing in the way of progress.
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