04/12/2023

A Mother’s Story of Gun Violence

Ms. Mamie Elizabeth Till

When 14-year-old Emmett disappeared while visiting relatives in Mississippi, his mother knew that her son was in trouble. All she could do was to lift up her prayers and hope for the best even though conditions for little Black boys & girls in 1955 were a challenge. Mother was right and after a lengthy search, his battered, bullet-riddled body left to decay in deep waters was recovered. Fingerprint identification methods had to be used because his face was destroyed…a detail that rose to prominence as Mother made funeral plans. Her decision touched then helped to galvanize the country about the ravages of discrimination based on color, especially in the American South because she chose to leave the casket open so all could see what young Emmett had suffered.

Weapons of mass destruction called assault weapons are now a permanent part of the American profile. Mass shootings where four or more persons suffer gunshot wounds can occur anywhere…at a bank, at an elementary school, at a high school, at a college, at the movie theater, at the bus stop, at worship services, at the mall…anywhere. The immediate response after one of these terrible episodes is that there is NOTHING that can be done to stop these occurrences. Republican voices all gather in their respective choir spaces to sing this familiar song that is orchestrated by the NRA (National Rifle Association). The NRA is usually listed as a major campaign donor to these voices among others who support the concept that Americans have a right to own any type of weapon – missile launchers, grenade throwers, Gatling guns, etc. The difference between a musket and an AR-15 style assault rifle has been lost in the economic bonus of what expensive gun sales can generate. These profits are more important than people…a lesson becoming clearer with each new mass shooting event.

The country has become detached, no longer horrified by the frequency of these events. Millions even billions spent in the nation’s military budget are routinely authorized while American families go hungry, lose healthcare, face eviction, and suffer all manners of quality-of-life-crisis-events related to being poor, old, or disabled. Days maybe weeks pass between each violent episode as the voices and demands that the government “DO SOMETHING!!’ are drowned out by the NRA and their choral group members. Maybe Ms. Mamie’s response should be considered a viable option to SHAKE-UP the consciousness of the nation. Show the damage to the body of a five-year-old after being shot with an assault weapon. Show the mangled remains of them all, no matter what age, so that the public can appreciate and better understand what the outcomes are if the nation continues to keep company with these weapons of mass destruction. Listen to the League…

Maureen Taylor – MI/Welfare Rights Organization