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Masko on guns: Key is safety, prevention
Among the hot-button issues which permeate partisan discussions in American politics, the prospect of gun reform (or gun control) remains one of the most prevalent.
This is owed in no small part to the effective regularity of mass shooting events. Though what truly constitutes a mass shooting may meet different criteria, those which have occurred at schools have perhaps drawn the most considerable scrutiny.
One such shooting occurred Thursday morning at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., which left two students dead and three more injured. The perpetrator, 16-year-old Nathaniel Berhow, then turned the gun on himself. Though he initially survived, he died Friday afternoon as a result of his injuries.*
It thus was timely, though tragic, that on the heels of this most recent scenario, community members had the opportunity to hear from Meganne Masko of Moms Demand Action Thursday evening at the Putnam County Public Library.
Masko is an educator and therapist who also works as the group leader for the Hendricks County chapter of this organization, which advocates gun safety and preventative practices at the local and national level.
Masko was invited to speak by the Greencastle League of Women Voters, with her Thursday presentation given in place of the monthly Community Conversation.
A native of Iowa, Masko began with her teaching music therapy at the University of North Dakota. She shared how she first heard about the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 children and six adults dead.
“I remember thinking about how this can’t be real - how this really can’t happen,” she said with some emotion.
She continued that it was not long after the incident at Sandy Hook that the threat of gun violence came closer to home. She related how the school her child attended went on alert after a death threat was made against the principal by a “disgruntled” student.
Masko continues to teach at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. She also holds a practice as a music therapist. However, her advocacy in Hendricks County with Moms Demand Action seems to have given her a sense of urgency.
“I have a vested interest in making sure my students are safe as students, as well as that of our kids outside of school,” she said. “I say this as a mother and as a teacher.
“Each time a shooting happens, my heart breaks,” Masko added. “However, I finally stopped getting broken and then started getting really pissed.”
Sharing that she was more comfortable with texting people than with talking in person, Masko said she began her work with Moms Demand Action by texting potential supporters. She eventually became the group leader of the Hendricks County chapter, which was established about nine months ago, and has not let up.
Masko transitioned into discussing numbers concerning gun violence across the United States. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, 100 people are killed every day due to gun violence. She added that this also includes suicides, and that African Americans, Latinex and veterans are the most affected.
“Gun violence does not discriminate on its own against anyone, but there are those who it affects the most,” she said. “That’s why we believe that we are a community, because diversity and inclusion are extremely important for us.”
Masko then touched on different “myths” concerning gun violence which have perhaps skewed the message behind gun reform and preventative safety measures.
Mass shootings make up less than one percent, rather than the bulk, of gun violence in the United States, with suicides being the most common. While gun deaths can affect different groups in various ways, white Americans complete 87 percent of firearm suicides, even though they make up about 77 percent of the population.
Everytown for Gun Safety also provides that gun deaths in New York have gone down 24 percent since 2008, suggesting that more robust gun campaigns can make a positive difference in places.
Masko said that Moms Demand Action is committed to seeing the passage of stricter gun statutes. In line with this, the organization also aims to close loopholes in laws which would allow someone who is potentially dangerous to possess a firearm.
Indiana’s Second Chance Law, which prohibits discrimination based on sealed or expunged records, was provided as an example. However, a sheriff’s department can recommend to the state that a handgun applicant be denied a firearms license due to past behavior. Felonies are also a definite prohibiting factor.
The organization is also focused on working with local businesses to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership, and to also mitigate public fear in general when it comes to conceal-carry. Advocates also engage politically in supporting “gun sense candidates” who align with gun reform.
The concept of “naptivism,” where someone can communicate with their representatives while “the kids are asleep,” is another avenue through which supporters can do their part.
Moms Demand Action also provides the Be SMART program, which focuses on what adults can do to ensure childrens’ safety, especially when it comes to storage. In contrast, the Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, promoted by the National Rifle Association (NRA), teaches children to leave a gun alone and then tell a grown-up.
“We are truly committed to keeping our kids safe, and that’s why we focus specifically on adults being safe,” Masko said. “Eddie the Eagle simply puts the onus on the child, who may still pick up the gun and then run.”
Asked whether Moms Demand Action and its affiliates, including Students Demand Action, have tried to have dialogue with gun rights groups, Masko was adamant that no convergence on gun reform was possible. She further suggested that this lay on the NRA leadership being unwilling to encourage productive discussion.
“There has been such a shift, so there certainly doesn’t seem to be any consensus,” Masko said. “From how I see things, the NRA has abdicated their responsibility when it comes to promoting gun safety.
“We’re not here to take your guns away, and we support the Second Amendment,” Masko added. “The point is that we want you to be safe with your Second Amendment rights. The more responsible we are, the more we can prevent gun violence.”
Responding to a question about support for bans or restrictions of assault rifles, Masko said this took focus away from the prevention side of the organization’s goals. In effect, she suggested that Moms Demand Action has no stance on this part of gun reform policy.
“Assault weapons are not even on our radar,” Masko said. “This is simply because there is a lot of finagling about what an assault weapon is. At the end of the day, we’re still about safety and prevention with all firearms.”
However, Masko said that there are many gun-related bills, including the Disarm Hate Act and another demanding universal background checks, which are awaiting discussion in the U.S. Senate. Though they may have bipartisan support, she believed that little ground would be made soon at the congressional level.
She also believed progress could be just as difficult to achieve here at home in the coming election year.
“We’re going to be playing a lot of defense in the upcoming legislative session,” Masko professed. “2020 is going to be a big year in Indiana in getting any movement.”
Moms Demand Action was founded by Shannon Watts, a communications consultant and mother of five from Zionsville, the day after the Sandy Hook incident. It now has six million supporters across the nation, with Masko estimating that the Hendricks County chapter includes some 300 advocates.
*Update: This story originally reported that Berhow was in critical condition following the shooting.
However, private sellers are not inherently required to conduct background checks on potential buyers in Indiana. Sellers can make judgment calls on whether buyers are stable and able to use the firearm. Masko referred to this as a reason why "universal" background checks are wanted, as loopholes in general are a concern for the organization.