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YES

just had the most galaxy brain idea. dan and phil play two truths and a lie with phil’s northern anecdotes

Gun violence is a fucking daily reality for those of us that live with it. I know that we joke about how “America loves its guns” and how we all have active shooter drills now. But that…shouldn’t be a laughing matter!? This isn’t funny??!! Just a few nights ago, I heard gunshots outside my apartment. And last month or so, I was staying in the lab late at night, and security had to lock down the building because there was an active shooter inside my department building which is normally locked by keycard access at night. I spent 4 hours hiding inside my office until security gave me the all clear to go home. 

And the thing is, I still cannot imagine the terror these poor CHILDREN went through. I was so angry about Sandy Hook 10 years ago, and I’m fucking furious now. Because the thing is, there’s a certain sect of people (read: Republicans & the NRA) who are just stonewalling everything that we’re trying to do to pass sensible gun legislation. 

I need to bring 500 different documents to prove my identity to the DMV so I can get a driver’s license…and that’s for a car, whose main function is to get me around places, but has the potential to harm people if handled irresponsibly. And for SOME GODAWFUL REASON we don’t seem to have the same standards for obtaining guns??? WHOSE MAIN FUNCTION IS TO LITERALLY KILL PEOPLE?

Someone explain this to me.

We should treat every young man who wants to buy a gun like every woman who wants to get an abortion - mandatory 48 hour waiting period, parental permission, a note from his doctor proving he understands what he's about to do, a video he has to watch about the effects of gun violence, and a mandatory invasive ultrasound procedure. Let's close down all but one gun shop in every state and make him travel hundreds of miles, take time off work, and stay overnight in a strange town to get a gun. Make him walk through a gauntlet of people holding photos of loved ones who were shot to death, with people shouting at him that he's a murderer, begging him not to buy a gun.

It make more sense to do this with young men and guns than with women and healthcare, right? I mean, no woman getting an abortion has killed a room full of people in seconds.

Vibes

So if you're in the UK you have probably heard about the proposed changes to disability benefits. If not, here is a BBC News article (link) about it, and the Big Issue (link) have been running basically non-stop articles about it since the announcement.

Crucially, the government is holding a consultation. Will as many of us as possible weighing in change the outcome? Possibly, though it's far from guaranteed. Will not filling it in help the situation in the slightest? No. So let's all have a go.

You can find the full Green Paper here: (link) and the options to respond are at the bottom of it, including the link to respond online, which is also here: (link)

It's also always worth contacting your MP to let them know what you think, if only to get a response on fancy Commons stationery. You can find your MP here: (link)

So, have at it, UK folks! (These proposals don't apply to Northern Ireland as benefits are transferred, but they are still taking NI comments and sharing them with the Department for Communities, so you may be able to influence whether this approach is taken up in NI in future, too)

And if nothing else, please reblog!

reminders for today:

if you or someone you know might need it in the next few years, purchase plan b. the shelf life of plan b is 4 years, and we might not be able to access it as easily as we can now in the days ahead.

if you are larger/plus size: go online and purchase ella instead of plan b. plan b is less effective if you aren’t under 160 pounds.

if you can, purchase books that project 2025 is looking to ban.

mass deportations are starting. if you see ice vehicles or agents, yell ice raid and la migra as loud as you can.

if someone asks who you voted for, keep your mouth shut. they’re fishing for traitors.

if anyone, anyone at all asks about your neighbors or their legal status in the us, you know nothing. don’t be the reason that their family is separated.

if anyone asks about your religion or lack thereof, keep it vague. this administration will look for any excuse to persecute you.

your friends are trans or queer? for the next four years they’re not. don’t expose anyone’s status as a trans or queer person to anyone else, even if you think you can trust them.

did someone you know get an abortion? no, they didn’t. they were never pregnant.

in short, don’t be a snitch, and keep to yourself these next four years. we’ll make it through this even if it seems hopeless at times.

we can survive this. we’ve survived before, and we’ll survive again.