One of the more mundane things about having become the nation of mass shootings is running out if words. Technically I am never out of words, words are my jam. But having written multiple times about mass shootings, having expressed sadness that we as a nation have prioritized the rights of guns over the right to live, having talked about how there is no place, not work, not school, not places of worship, not places of shopping, not concerts, not picnics safe from guns, what else is there to say? I can say that I will continue to work to change this, that I remember life before the assault weapon ban lapsed and I can see the difference, count the friends I have lost, and the friends I have had to wait to hear they were okay. But I said that before. It's still true but it's of little comfort when we are still gathering the list of names from the last shooting as news of the next comes in. I used to be able to tell overseas friends that you could go your whole life without being touched by gun violence here. It required some privilege and some luck, but we have made it ever less possible, chipped away at both the privilege and the odds. The only tiny solace I have is knowing the list of people who are mad grows daily. The only comfort I can offer these latest loved ones is that I am still mad, I am still motivated, and I will keep working.
