Silence Supports Violence

MISSION STATEMENT:

Silence Supports Violence is a movement conceived by students at CalArts from a community-engaged-arts perspective. Our goal is to speak out against gun violence by using our voices and storytelling, as powerful tools for change.

We desire a world where the dollar isn’t worth more than a student’s life. The truth is that the Stop School Violence Act of 2018 is not addressing any real gun-related measures. Arming teachers, creating anonymous reporting systems, or changing the purchasing age for buying guns will not decrease the loss of lives from gun violence. We want to see real change and need you in order to change federal and state laws immediately around universal background checks and gun licensing per state. We feel this would be a step in the right direction to fight gun violence and save the lives of children and adults.

The loophole in the federal law allows unlicensed sellers to sell firearms without performing background checks. This flaw ultimately allows guns to be transferred into the hands of those purchasing firearms illegally and supports gun trafficking. In addition, each of our 50 states has its own laws pertaining to gun licenses, which need to be revisited to reflect a more comprehensive approach, requiring background checks to purchase or transfer a firearm of any type.

Enough is enough. We need you to answer our call to action and to speak your story. Please create and share videos and/or written stories about how you or someone you know has been affected by gun violence, or simply to speak out against the injustices surrounding this serious subject.

Help us close these loopholes by having the federal gun laws and state gun laws updated.

We understand how daunting the task of changing federal gun laws seems. We believe that though this may be an uphill battle, IT IS POSSIBLE.

Here is our call to action:

1) Speak your story! How has gun violence impacted your life or the life of a loved one? Here is a helpful outline. Post your story online and tag it #speakyourstory

2) Encourage others to share their story.

3) Contact your regional representatives and state senators.