I say this as a dog lover.
If we woke up to headlines that shooters were targeting kennels or doggie daycares, and veterinarians were only seeing dogs whose owners could afford the treatment, I have no doubt we would see swift action. Legislation would move overnight. Because as a society, we deeply value our pets. And rightly so. They bring us love, loyalty, and comfort.
But when it’s people, our kids in schools, our families in grocery stores, our neighbors in churches, we stall. We debate. We delay. Reforms that could save lives are treated as too controversial to act on.
Make that make sense!
Americans spend billions every year on their pets: on gourmet food, on plush toys, on doggie clothes, on health insurance. We fight fiercely for their safety. And I understand that. I have done and will do the same for my dog.
But here’s what we can’t ignore: while we’re investing billions in our animals, the NRA and gun manufacturers are making billions selling the very weapons that devastate our communities. Their bottom line is measured in profit; our bottom line is measured in funerals.
And on top of that, families face crushing medical costs just trying to keep their children healthy. Parents ration insulin. Kids skip treatments. Healthcare has become a barrier instead of a lifeline.
So let’s be clear: this isn’t about whether we have resources. We do. It’s about how we choose to use them. Right now, we’ve allowed profit from the gun lobby and from broken healthcare systems to outweigh the value of human life.
Sensible gun legislation saves lives. Accessible healthcare saves lives. Neither is radical. Neither is impossible. They are the bare minimum of what a society should do if it claims to value its people.
If we can insure our pets, we can insure our kids. If we can legislate for Fido and Princess, we can legislate for Johnny and Janet. If we can rally to protect animals, we can rally to protect human beings.
The question before us is not can we act? The question is will we act? Will we act to put people before profit, children before corporations, and lives before lobbies?