We have seen another school shooting, and it seems there will be no end to them. Our state and national lawmakers have been unwilling to go against the gun lobby. Many of us are impatient. We don’t want another person killed in a school shooting, a domestic violence dispute or a random shooting. Every day that we do nothing is a day when we are complicit with the status quo. What can a person do?

In trying to look at the big picture, we first need to change the culture around guns. It should not be “cool” to own a gun. Guns are weapons and are meant to kill. Knives and hands can be weapons, too, but they are not as likely to injure as many people in just a few seconds.

It is documented by researchers at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and the University of California, among other institutions, that households that own a gun are more likely than those without to suffer a fatality, either by suicide or domestic assault. We need marketing to change the culture, but the marketers are working on the side of the gun industry.

This is just an idea: What if we refuse to shop at businesses that sell guns or ammunition? What if you check your investments to make sure there are none that either directly or indirectly support the gun industry? Take your money out of these investments and support industries that are life-affirming.

It’s a small step, but we need to feel we are doing something. I’m sure if others put their heads together they can come up with other ideas, too. Let others know of your ideas. Congress is doing nothing. I don’t want another vibrant human being to be denied the right to live just because of another’s right to own a gun.

Joanne Libby

Freeport