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Oxford Anniversary Gun Control Round Table
TW: Talks of Gun Violence
On November 29th, 2023 I attended a round table discussion, hosted by Emily Busch. The environment was calm, if a bit tense due to the subject matter. Fox News reporters drifted in and out of the space alongside College Democrats of Oakland University representatives, who aided in organizing the event, and of course the hosts of the event, the Emily Busch for Congress team.
The event featured gun safety advocate John Gold, as well as Maddie Johnson, Oxford school shooting survivor and co-chair of ''No Future Without Today'' on campus.
Congressman John James was invited to the event as well. He declined to attend.
Emily Busch began the event by explaining that she was an “Oxford mom”. Her son survived the Oxford High School shooting, a tragedy that occurred on November 30th, 2021. The event discussed a variety of ways to help reduce the effects of gun violence. Some ideas covered included an expansion of Ethan’s Law, as well as a productive discussion on the practicalities of a ban on assault weapons and the impacts it’d yield, as well as a potential regulation of bullets.
It was discussed that the biggest killer, in the gun violence epidemic, was suicide. During the discussion, the figure was cited as 65% of gun fatalities were suicides, however further research showed that it was 62% of all fatalities as of 2019 (PolitiFact | 62% of U.S. gun deaths are suicides).
The biggest words of wisdom shared from the table for young people? Get active. Get involved in politics. Reach out to congresspeople. Emily Busch says,
“In the face of tragedies like the mass shooting at Oxford High School it can be difficult to discuss topics like gun violence because, for a growing number of us, it is so incredibly painful and personal. But sometimes the toughest moments to speak up are the most important, and this is one of those moments.”
This round table talk highlighted a burning flame of passion among Americans and can be summarized as a beacon of hope for American citizens everywhere as we reach across the aisle to stand together and acknowledge the tragedies we have witnessed, as well as prevent another one from gripping the American public again.
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