Yesterday, on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, we held a lie-in to remember the victims of Virginia Tech and students in North Carolina who have been killed by gun. These are my remarks:
One year ago today, 32 people were killed on the campus of Virginia Tech University in the deadliest school shooting and worst civilian mass shooting in the history of our country. We are gathered here today in remembrance of those who lost their lives at Virginia Tech, and for all the victims that have been lost to gun violence in the year since that shooting. Today we wear the colors of Virginia Tech – ribbons hand-made by the survivors and families of the victims of that shooting. We also wear the light blue of Carolina and the dark blue of Duke because we include in our memorial Eve Carson of UNC, Abhijit Mohato of Duke University, Denita Smith of NCCU, Lauren Burke of Auburn University, and the seven students killed at Northern Illinois University.
Gun violence is an insidious and mostly silent epidemic that is taking the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans each year in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. Thirty- two people a day are murdered by guns in America. Thirty-two today, tomorrow, the next day, 32 the day after that and 32 the day after that. These are killings with no end in sight unless we choose to act. More than any other, this generation of college students has been affected by gun violence. Whether campus shootings take one life or seven lives or thirty-two lives, an entire community is traumatized.
There are several things we can do…
1) Remember the victims. As we call the names of 35 students today we join hundreds of others holding events just like this across the country. Today we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We are part of a national community of support and remembrance for the students who were killed and injured at Virginia Tech and other college campuses.
2) Act on behalf of ALL victims of gun violence – by getting laws passed that stop the flow of illegal guns. As Marian Wright Edleman, the founder of the Children’s Defense Fund said, “Guns and violence are in every nook and cranny of America. Many children can get a gun quicker than they can get a book out of the library.” It should not be so easy to get a gun. Children, criminals, and the mentally ill should not have easy access to a gun. By requiring that every gun sale be contingent on a background check we can restrict gun purchases to responsible adults only. This is called closing the gun show loophole. No background check, no sale, no gun.
3) The last and most important – is to honor the victims of gun violence by living lives of peaceful purpose. We can choose to resolve conflict without violence, to choose reconciliation over revenge, and justice over retaliation. We can be a force for non-violence and we must start with ourselves. The power of peace is stronger than any bullet and we hold that power in our hearts and hands.
Thank you for coming. Go in peace.
