Valerie Jarrett: Parkland students turn deadly moment into crucial mission

The moment before it began, the students in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were nearing the end of the school day. The Christians at Sutherland Springs and Charleston were worshipping in church. Concertgoers in Las Vegas were listening to Jason Aldean perform the final set at the Route 91 Harvest festival. First-graders and their teachers were in their classrooms in Sandy Hook Elementary School. A young girl was gossiping with her best friend on a neighborhood park bench. Then they all heard the same: gunshots. And then they became either fatalities or survivors traumatized by the carnage.

Those whose lives have been scarred by gun violence all have one thing in common. They are living in America at a time when too many of our country’s political leaders deem the National Rifle Association more precious than people’s lives, including the lives of our nation’s children. If we are going to change that — if we are going to prevent more people from becoming victims of gun violence — we must follow the Parkland students’ lead and dramatically change the politics on gun reform.  

{mosads}The NRA calls itself a support affinity group for gun owners and an advocate for their rights. But, in reality, it is a lobbying organization for gun manufacturers. Its strategy is to stoke fear among gun owners and push the most extreme policies that increase gun sales. I experienced this firsthand during the Obama administration when, in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, we pushed Congress to take sensible steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who were a threat to others or themselves, while we supported the rights of responsible gun owners to keep their guns.

We called on Congress to close dangerous loopholes in our background-check systems, and when Congress failed to act, President Obama signed executive orders to tighten our systems and improve coordination. We encouraged smart gun technology and research on the patterns and effects of gun violence. We partnered with advocates, researchers and local elected officials across the country who were pushing for safer gun laws. But it was politically expedient for the NRA to scare its members by saying President Obama was “coming for our guns,” no matter that the claim was false. The NRA got what it wanted: Gun sales increased.

After every mass shooting, the NRA’s backers scold gun-reform advocates for politicizing the tragedy. Politicians say that while families are mourning it is “too soon” to talk about legislative solutions. But gun violence is political. When state and federal elected leaders vote in lockstep with the NRA, they are making a political choice. When it’s easier to get an AR-15 than even a handgun, as is the case in Florida, that’s a failure of public policy. When domestic abusers, criminals, those whose mental illness makes them a threat to others or themselves, and even people on terrorist watch lists can easily avoid background checks and buy guns, that’s exactly the kind of crisis our political system is supposed to solve.

We can’t allow the NRA to distort our proposals and determine when and how we talk about them. Enough is enough. We have to demand change.

After eight years serving in the Obama White House and a long career in public service, I’ve seen two things drive a political movement: momentum and pressure.

The Parkland survivors have mobilized a public outcry with staying power. I’ve been so inspired by the #NeverAgain movement led by the youngest and most vulnerable among us. They decided that enough is enough on lax gun laws and leaders who are more beholden to the interests of the NRA than they are to their fellow Americans. And in just days after the shooting and during CNN’s town hall, students bravely spoke heartfelt truth to power.

Many more wielded social media to call out their critics and companies with partnerships with the NRA. They organized a nationwide school walkout and the “March for Our Lives” in Washington, D.C., and more than 800 locations around the country, with a strong message of unity, force and conviction that should have awakened even the most complacent political leaders. They have generated both momentum and pressure.

But while I’m inspired by a younger generation that is passionate, resilient and capable of organizing and leading the nation, it’s important to remember that this is not their fight alone. As citizens, our civic duty calls on us all to be informed and involved.

Now we should all join the young people demanding change. This should not be a partisan issue, for we should all want our society safe from gun violence. But if our elected officials do not fight for our safety, we will vote them out of office. There are no more excuses. Change often seems impossible until it is inevitable. It becomes inevitable when ordinary Americans decide to make it happen. We all have the power to create momentum and pressure. Enough is enough.

Valerie Jarrett, a lawyer, businesswoman and civic leader, was senior adviser to President Obama from 2009 to 2017.