Gun Culture Is Here To Stay: How Do We As Liberals Adapt?
By Michael Kelman Portney
In the wake of Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory, liberals face a unique reality: gun culture isn’t going anywhere. Rather than resisting or ignoring it, it’s time for liberals to adapt by acknowledging and working with gun culture, especially when it comes to addressing safety issues like school shootings. By taking a pragmatic, community-centered approach, liberals can support responsible gun ownership, promote mental health, and foster a culture of pride in arming, training, and safety that ultimately enhances security for everyone.
1. Acknowledge and Respect Gun Culture
For many Americans, especially in conservative regions, gun ownership is deeply rooted in cultural identity and personal freedom. For liberals to have any influence on the gun debate, they must first acknowledge this reality and approach gun culture with respect.
• Seek Common Ground: Recognize that gun owners aren’t a monolith. Many responsible gun owners support safety measures and have similar concerns about misuse. Finding common ground on these shared values can build alliances that foster trust and understanding.
• Understand the History and Identity Behind Guns: For some, gun ownership represents more than a constitutional right; it’s a symbol of independence, protection, and family heritage. Respecting this perspective can open the door to collaboration and create opportunities for meaningful policy discussions.
2. Promote Gun Safety and Education Programs
Addressing gun safety is key to reducing violence. By supporting education programs that focus on safe handling, secure storage, and responsible gun ownership, liberals can actively promote safety without threatening the rights of gun owners.
• Mandate Gun Safety Education: Support legislation that requires gun safety courses for all gun owners, akin to driver’s education. These courses can cover safe storage, conflict de-escalation, and responsible handling.
• Encourage Secure Storage Practices: Safe storage is essential in preventing unauthorized access, especially by children or individuals in crisis. Supporting initiatives that provide free or subsidized gun safes can promote safety within communities and prevent tragic accidents.
3. Address Mental Health with a Focus on Early Intervention
Mental health is crucial to tackling gun violence and school shootings. Liberals can support policies that identify early warning signs and provide resources for those in crisis, helping to prevent violence before it starts.
• Implement Early Intervention Programs in Schools: Equip schools to identify students struggling with mental health and provide them with resources. Training staff to recognize signs of distress can lead to timely, effective interventions.
• Increase Access to Mental Health Care: Expanding mental health services, especially in underserved areas, can provide people with support before they reach a crisis point.
• Support Community Crisis Intervention: Work with community leaders to set up crisis intervention resources that connect people in need with timely help, reducing the risk of impulsive violence.
4. Embrace Responsible Gun Ownership and Community Empowerment
To bridge the divide, liberals can redefine responsible gun ownership as a shared community value that prioritizes safety and empowerment.
• Community-Based Safety Groups: Local groups can organize neighborhood watch programs and safety coalitions that include responsible gun owners trained in best practices. Such groups foster mutual respect and accountability, making communities safer.
• Redefine Gun Ownership as Community Responsibility: Promote a culture where gun ownership is tied to a sense of community responsibility. Responsible gun owners who contribute positively to their communities help shift the narrative, making gun ownership less about individualism and more about collective safety.
5. Enact Smart, Community-Supported Policy Changes
Instead of advocating for sweeping restrictions, liberals can pursue nuanced policies that address specific risks, including loopholes and unauthorized access to firearms. Involving gun owners in shaping these policies can help foster acceptance and effectiveness.
• Support Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs): Known as “red flag” laws, ERPOs allow family or law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. When implemented with safeguards, these laws protect communities while respecting individual rights.
• Close Loopholes and Strengthen Background Checks: Collaborate with local gun owners to close background check loopholes, ensuring comprehensive screenings. Community involvement in these efforts can improve policy efficacy and build trust.
• Promote Training and Accountability Requirements: Requiring specific training for owning certain types of firearms, like assault weapons, can respect ownership rights while ensuring responsible stewardship.
6. End School Shootings with a Comprehensive Safety Strategy
Addressing school shootings requires a multifaceted approach. Gun safety is important, but so are broader initiatives focused on school-specific safety protocols, mental health resources, and community involvement.
• Create School-Specific Intervention Teams: Establish multidisciplinary teams within schools, including counselors, mental health professionals, and law enforcement, to assess threats, respond to concerns, and support students in crisis.
• Increase Funding for Safe School Infrastructure: Secure schools with measures like controlled entry points, emergency response systems, and trained staff who can implement safety protocols without creating a fortress-like environment.
• Engage Parents and Community Members: Parents and community members are crucial allies in keeping schools safe. Community meetings and workshops can help teach them to identify warning signs among young people.
7. Taking Pride in Arming Ourselves, Training, and Safety
Redefining gun ownership as a source of pride rooted in responsibility, skill, and safety builds a strong foundation for community trust. Taking pride in firearm training and education shifts the conversation away from fear and toward empowerment and respect.
• Embrace a Culture of Training and Skill-Building: Encourage firearm education and skill-building as valuable pursuits. Marksmanship, safe handling, and emergency response can be celebrated as signs of responsible citizenship.
• Cultivate Community Safety Networks: Organize community groups to provide regular safety training and certifications, creating a network of accountable, well-trained gun owners who prioritize safety as a value.
• Support Regular Firearms Education: Promote a culture of continuous education for gun owners, encouraging them to stay informed on best practices. This approach fosters pride in responsible gun ownership and makes safety a priority.
• Respect for Firearms as a Symbol of Preparedness: Reframe gun ownership as an act of empowerment and preparedness, similar to knowing CPR or keeping a first aid kit. This perspective encourages responsible ownership as a proactive, thoughtful choice.
• Recognize Responsibility as Part of Freedom: Taking pride in responsible gun ownership emphasizes that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Gun owners can embody values like discipline, accountability, and respect, raising the standards of gun culture itself.
• Challenge Stereotypes and Build Unity: Celebrating responsible ownership and training helps dispel stereotypes that paint all gun owners as extremists. Instead, this approach builds bridges and promotes safety across political lines.
Conclusion: A New Approach to Gun Culture
Trump’s 2024 election signals that traditional methods of gun reform likely won’t succeed without a shift in strategy. By adapting to gun culture, liberals can promote responsible ownership, emphasize mental health, and foster a pride-driven approach to arming, training, and safety that resonates across divides. This approach builds a safer, more resilient society, rooted in community responsibility and mutual respect.
By focusing on education, mental health, and community-driven initiatives, liberals can work with gun owners to foster a culture that values both individual freedoms and collective safety. In doing so, they pave the way for a new era of shared responsibility and unity, where gun ownership becomes synonymous with discipline, empowerment, and a safer America.
