Activists Sarah Mikesell and Joan Peterson spoke to students at the Griggs Center on Thursday, Mar. 28 about issues of gun violence and how to prevent them in the future.

Gun violence prevention advocates Sarah Mikesell (middle) and Joan Peterson (far right) speak to students about gun violence prevention at the Griggs Center. (picture taken 3/28/2024 by Jackson Bonley)

Mikesell, a nurse in Duluth, volunteers for Moms Demand Action, a non-partisan organization with millions of members that engage the public on issues of gun violence. Mikesell works with various community organizations, looking to inform the public on the importance of stronger and safer gun laws.

Peterson, who is a life-long activist, works with multiple organizations like the Northland Brady Chapter and the League of Women Voters, which focus on preventing gun violence and protecting women’s rights. Peterson also serves on the Board of Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs as well as the WE Health Clinic to prevent violence against women and to protect their reproductive rights.

Peterson and Mikesell have worked with these many different organizations on passing strong gun prevention legislation involving concealed carry laws, universal background checks and prohibiting guns at the Minnesota State Capitol and polling places.

The panel specifically touched on issues of gun violence against women and the root cause of these cases. Mikesell and Peterson first point to advertisements by companies selling guns, where ads usually depict a man in military and camo gear. These ads depicting weapons of war are meant to target younger audiences, which creates a hypermasculine model of behavior around guns.

“Men feel oppressed if they don’t have guns,” Mikesell said. “Guns give men a sense of empowerment like they must own a gun to be a man.”

Guns are also seen as a way of controlling women, which has led to an increase in gun-related domestic abuse against women. According to the panel, women are five times more likely to be killed in homes, with 70 women on average being shot and killed by an intimate partner every month in the United States.

Because of this hypermasculinization of guns, there is opposition from men against gun prevention movements. Peterson recalls negotiations with lawmakers at the Minnesota State Capitol about stronger gun laws, where pro-gun men walked around the capitol armed with guns.

“They were trying to intimidate us,” Peterson said. “They feel manly having a gun in their hands, it gives them a sense of power.”

Mikesell and Peterson also stated that violent rhetoric played a role in rallying pro-gun groups. Much of this rhetoric is not only being filled with misogyny but with racial stereotypes targeted at people of color to justify owning a firearm.

Peterson and Mikesell state that there are plenty of ways to get involved in the fight against gun violence. “Voting is the most powerful tool that you have,” Mikesell said. “Use it.”

Mikesell also encouraged people to get into contact with the members of Congress and gun prevention programs at the national, state and local levels. Currently, Mikesell and Peterson are working with other gun safety advocates on passing a bill in the state legislature for safer storage of guns.

“Activism makes a huge difference,” Peterson said. “Understand how gun violence has affected you as a student and fight for your life.”

Disarming America: Panel Presentation at Griggs Center Talks About Action Against Gun Violence