Is there a future free from gun violence? Quiana Agbai believes so and here's how we can get there.
Interview by Jennifer Cooper
Image courtesy of Quiana Agbai
“We are a nation of gun violence survivors. It’s time we turn that into action.”
In 2021, there were 692 mass shootings in the United States. This is according to the Gun Violence Archives, a non-profit group that collects information from law enforcement, media, government, and commercial sources to track gun-related violence across the country. Mass shootings get media attention. What doesn’t is the number of people killed by guns on any given day. In 2021, more than 45,000 people died by firearms.
There is no doubt that gun violence in the U.S. is a deadly problem. But is there a cure?
For some women, they feel having a gun is the cure. Beth Privette, who helps run a program that teaches women how to shoot, told VOA News in 2021 that many of her new clients are women in their 60s and 70s. They are newly widowed or living alone and worry about being harmed.
New gun owners are more likely to be female, regardless of age. In fact, half of all gun purchases over the past three years were made by women. It is an unfortunate statistic when you overlay it on top of studies that show that more guns equal more homicides.
So where do we go from here?
Is it possible to imagine a future free from gun violence? What would that even look like?
I spoke with writer, speaker, and activist Quiana Agbai to find out. Agbai is a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, a group working toward sensible gun reform. She shares why she got involved with this issue, if a future free from gun violence is possible, and what we can do to help us get there.
Tell me how you got involved with Moms Demand Action. Was there a singular event or was it a growing concern?
I heard of Moms Demand Action prior to my formal involvement as a volunteer in 2017 after moving to Boston. The seed for my involvement was a result of having to shelter in place during an active shooter situation soon after relocating from NYC-metro to Portsmouth, NH with my preschooler and newborn. Once we moved to Boston I saw that a new chapter was starting. I went to the first meeting and immediately signed up to volunteer and became the Community Outreach Lead for almost three years. I knew that I didn’t want to sit by in the midst of continued shootings. I didn’t want to be a bystander; I wanted to take action. Now as a general volunteer I show up as I’m able, to support continued actions by the Boston chapter.
Women have been buying guns at an unprecedented rate. In fact, a 2021 Harvard study found that they accounted for half of all gun purchases since 2019. I appreciate that this is a complicated conversation as women feel that they need better protection. And given the stats, I can see the thinking behind that decision. But I also know that having a gun in the home greatly increases your risk of being shot dead. So what would you say to someone who is thinking of getting a gun?
Yes, when it comes to owning a gun, data shows us that the likelihood of dying by gun violence inflicted by a spouse or intimate partner significantly increases when there is a gun in the home and women are overwhelmingly affected representing 84% of the victims (source).
“It will be a matter of several forces coming together to impact our communities and those of us on the ground reaching out to those around us to have open conversations about responsible gun ownership, mental health and access to resources.”
Beyond protection, straw purchases, in which someone purchases a gun on behalf of someone else who is legally permitted to do so, are a growing concern as it's often women who are purchasing on behalf of men who may have prior convictions. Here in Boston, Operation Lipstick has brought awareness to this issue through peer-to-peer education, social service intervention, public awareness campaigns and community organizing.
With this in mind, if you are considering purchasing a gun, especially as a woman, I would advise you take a hard look at the data. Moms Demand Action has a wealth of data-based resources on their website that are easily navigated and can be examined on the national and state level. We see examples of intimate partner violence daily in the news and additionally we know the leading cause of gun deaths in the United States are from suicide by handgun (source). From a mental health perspective this is important to note especially in terms of the effect of the pandemic that is evident on our collective mental health.
For those of us who are parents, there is an additional layer of concern of gun ownership with children having access to firearms. Moms Demand Action has a program called SMART which details responsible gun storage and state laws reflect the importance of this as well.
photo: Amber Robinson Raleigh
There is a vicious cycle of mass shooting, lots of media, calls for action, no action, silence, and the cycle continues again. How do you take care of yourself to prevent yourself from getting burned out by it all?
It really is exhausting and while I sometimes disengage from the news to protect my mental health, I often find when I re-engage I see yet another shooting has taken place. It’s a delicate balance between being informed and being overwhelmed, and I refuse to ignore things despite how hard they may be. What buoys me is focusing on maintaining my mental and physical health - regular exercise and therapy, which I recognize now is harder than ever to secure due to overwhelming demand.
Additionally, Moms Demand Action does a fantastic job of amplifying and championing our legislative wins. I know that everyday moms and other supporters of Moms Demand Action are at work daily pushing across the U.S. on the local and national levels for more common sense gun laws. Here in Massachusetts that meant getting a red flag law into place - this was years in the making of showing up, letter writing and collective action. With each milestone reached, it gives us a push to continue and others who are watching in other states.
Can you imagine a future free of gun violence? If so, what does that look like to you?
Yes, I can because I know we have peer nations who experience this. We know what it looks like. It would require a massive legislative action similar to what we’ve seen in other nations. It will happen when we collectively value lives over guns and vote in representatives who do the same. While we currently see differences state-to-state, the peace that those of us feel in states like Massachusetts, which has the lowest rate of gun violence nationally (source: EveryStat), is something that can be experienced by our fellow citizens across state lines. I long for the day that I don’t feel nervous traveling to states with high incidents of gun violence. We saw this happen recently in my family’s former community of Portsmouth, NH where a boy, who reminded me of my son, was murdered in South Carolina while on vacation by a man randomly shooting at cars.
“I refuse to ignore things despite how hard they may be.”
How can we create this future?
Getting to this point takes legislative action but also facing the economic and social inequities that sometimes drive people to gun violence. Access is an issue, but also the motive must be addressed. It will be a matter of several forces coming together to impact our communities and those of us on the ground reaching out to those around us to have open conversations about responsible gun ownership, mental health and access to resources - be they mental health or economic.
What do you want others to know about Moms Demand Action or gun violence in general?
I want others to know that we all have a role to play. I often get people who thank me for what I do and instead, I reply, “Join me” You can do that by texting READY to 644-33 to get connected to your local Moms Demand Action chapter. There are opportunities to show up based on your schedule and skill set. Many hands really do make light work. Beyond that, look for organizations who are in your community doing the work; especially among Black and brown communities which are disproportionately affected by gun violence, and link up and support them. We are a nation of gun violence survivors. It’s time we turn that into action.
To join Quiana and others working to end the gun violence crisis in the U.S., please visit Moms Demand Action and join them. We don’t need to live this way any longer.
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