America decided the Parkland shooting would be different. We would not let the conversation die down. We would continue to debate. But most of all, regardless of party or suggestions for specific policy prescription, we would remember the common goal is ending gun violence.
Sadly, two months after the tragic shooting, we have gone back to where we were before. Nothing has changed. A few gun laws in a few places have passed, but what impact will that make broadly? This is not a question of politics, but rather, a question of whether or not America is actually dedicated to solving this issue. So far, I would say we are not.
The reason we have forgotten, and the debate has become stagnant, is because of deep-rooted partisanship that has plagued this country for a number of years now. A person cannot listen to, or take part in a gun debate these days without insults being thrown at one another, and very few are looking for a fight. This partisanship stalled immediate change and now very few are dedicated for the long haul.
This begs a broader question about American culture. Why do we get so caught up in a story for a couple days, weeks, or in the case of Parkland, months, and then forget? There could be multiple answers to this question, but one thing is clear: Americans have short attention spans.
Short attention spans are not the only reason this debate has gotten lost, of course, but when the politicians complement that instinct with nonsensical tribalism, the average American tunes out. They do not want to hear politicians rattling off talking points or screaming at the other side because, no matter what the subject, such discourse is not an effective way to get anything done.
With the most recent school walkout on April 20, it is easy to say the gun conversation is still burning, but this is a misconstrued view. The people who are passionate about an issue will always be passionate, but in reality, those are not the people who will be keeping the gun conversation alive. The people who are vital to the conversation and the people who we are losing are the students and adults who do not normally care about such policy.
The debate regarding gun control should not be one of marches against large swaths of people, but rather, one of conversations, person to person. Unfortunately, this is the part of the debate that is being pushed to the side, in favor of divisive, closed-minded politics.
America must refocus the gun debate. The conversation has deteriorated in the past month alone, and before we know it, there may be another heart-wrenching calamity that forces us to have this discussion again. Rather than waiting, the public must get serious, and lawmakers must get serious, so that we do not need yet another wake-up call to solve this problem that has been around far too long in the U.S.
