Teens Urge Congress to Ban Assault Weapons - Speech 3

The RAC is proud to bring thousands of teens to Washington D.C. for our annual L'Taken Social Justice Seminars. After three days of intensive programming and learning about some of the many issues we advocate for, participants travel to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress and advocate for the causes they care about. 

Leading up to Wear Orange (June 7-9), we are sharing a few of the many powerful speeches that were delivered by our L'Taken participants during our 2023-2024 season centered around the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. Our youth embody the power of the Reform Movement to make our voices heard. 

This speech was written by Aiden S., Hannah H., and Harper C. from Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO. This is the first speech in our 2024 Wear Orange series. You can find the other 2 speeches here: Speech 1, Speech 2.

New fears are born every day with every new experience that we encounter. We find others who share this fear and cower together for the moment when it might come true. I have a fear, and I share it with my teachers, peers, friends, and family. We cower at the idea of it and as we hear others share their stories, we realize just how close it is. I'm afraid of gun violence, as are the people around me. We hear stories of our friends who have witnessed it and we watch the news as it lists the amount of casualties from schools, parades, and local stores. Billions of people in our country fear gun violence and for good reason. In 2020, guns overtook car accidents to become the leading cause of death for young Americans, and since then the number of mass shootings have increased and is up to 650 mass shootings in 2023.

In Exodus 20:13, the Mishnah teaches us that "He who takes one life, it is as though he has destroyed the universe, and he who saves one life, it is as though he has saved the universe." This demonstrates how each of us have different interpretations of the universe, specific to ourselves. As Jews, we are taught to look out for each other and advocate for those who don't have a voice. Gun violence is a prevalent issue in America today, and it becomes more and more severe the longer we stand idly by it. In fact, in 2022, there were over 48,000 gun-related deaths in the United States. Each and every one of these people have their own lives and their own universes. At the Holocaust Museum, there are many quotes that stick out to different people for different reasons. However, the one that stood out to me the most was "It wasn't just six million murders. It was one murder six million times." I believe that this quote in particular can be applied to multiple situations. For example, when we hear "48,000 people a year" we see that as merely a number, whereas if we think about every life that is constantly being affected and tarnished, it develops a deeper empathetic meaning. It only becomes so apparent when it happens to us or the people around us.

I have experienced gun violence firsthand, and more than once. I go to Denver East High School, and even if you weren't a representative of Colorado, you would still most likely know the name. About a year ago, in the span of one month, my school experienced two shootings on school grounds, one outside and one inside, which resulted in the departure of two teachers loved by the community, and the deaths of two classmates. I didn't know Luis Garcia well before he died, the two of us had only spoken a handful of times. People that did know him, however, attested to his kindness, and his legacy is remembered every day in our school's halls. The second shooting happened mere days after Luis's death, as a student opened fire on two deans that uncovered his gun during a pat down. Luckily, both teachers survived with relatively minor injuries, however, the student, who was in my math class, took his own life after an hours-long manhunt. The initial shooting happened during the third period, and they didn't find his body until the late afternoon. I have never felt feelings of pure terror like I did that day. Not even a week after a classmate had just died from gun violence, we were back on lockdown. I sat in the dance studio, the class I was in at the time, and desperately tried to keep myself from breaking down, because it was too risky to make a sound. I remember listening to the news in the following hours and days, it all suddenly became real: when we hear about a shooting on the news, it's easy to think of it as just another number. That is, until it isn't, until gun violence threatens you personally, and those you love. That's when it becomes real.

But, we can't wait for this issue to become "real" for everyone: too many lives will be lost, too many families broken, too many tears of children, afraid to go to the place that is supposed to be safe. The issue of gun violence needs to be addressed now, before it is too late.

The Assault Weapons Ban (S. 25 / H.R. 698) is sponsored by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in the Senate and Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-7) in the House. This would not be the first time the US had an assault weapons ban. However, since 2004, there has been no nationwide ban on assault weapons, and despite various bans on the state level, both mass and minor shootings have continued. The Assault Weapons Ban would prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of an assault weapon. Additionally, The Assault Weapons Ban would also require a background check on any future sale, trade, or gifting of an assault weapon. Since the bill was introduced, 206 members of the House and 44 Senators have joined to co-sponsor this bill. You are one of those members, and for that, we thank you. However, you co-sponsored this bill over a year ago, so we ask that you continue fighting for this ban to pass Congress, and we hope that gun violence is an issue you will continue fighting against.

Thank you for speaking with us, we appreciate you taking the time and for all the work you put in to fight against this issue.

Some of the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S. have been the result of assault weapons, weapons of war that are intended to shoot rapidly in a short period of time. You can join these teens and the larger Reform Movement by urging Congress to ban assault weapons.