What kills more students? Guns or books?
Why is it then that dark money groups want to ban books but not guns? Are they really concerned about students or their own political agenda?
Decide for yourself with this map that overlays the number of school districts censoring books and the number of shootings in that state? Do the states with the most book bans also have the most school shootings? Is there a connection? The map also includes contact details of elected officials in case you feel inclined to call them out on their hypocrisy of banning books but not guns in schools.
MAGA Republican censorship
"Right-wing activists have been working in recent years to remove what they say are objectionable books from local libraries -- but it turns out that a tiny number of them are responsible for most of the book ban requests. Analysis conducted by the Washington Post found that only 11 people were responsible for more than half of more than 1,000 different book challenges analyzed by the paper, with one person responsible for 92 challenges just by himself.
"Together, these serial filers constituted 6 percent of all book challengers — but were responsible for 60 percent of all filings," the Post states. "Calling books 'illegal' was the ninth-most common reason employed by book challengers. This tactic was especially popular in Florida and Texas: Of the 153 complaints contending books were illegal, 56 percent were brought in Florida and 18 percent in Texas."" - Raw Story
Gun violence at schools surges
"More than 352,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine. There have been 380 school shootings since 1999, according to Post data.
There were more school shootings in 2022 — 46 — than in any year since at least 1999. Beyond the dead and wounded, children who witness the violence or cower behind locked doors to hide from it can be profoundly traumatized. Hundreds of outlets cover the deadliest attacks, such as the Feb. 14,2018, rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., where a 19-year-old man with an AR-style rifle killed 17 people.
The Post has found that at least 199 children, educators and other people have been killed, and another 428 have been injured." - Washington Post
Are you aware of any student dying from reading?
PEN America tracks book bans
"Books are under profound attack in the United States. They are disappearing from library shelves, being challenged in droves, being decreed off limits by school boards, legislators, and prison authorities. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against the banning of books and the intolerance, exclusion, and censorship that undergird it."
PEN America tracks all book bans in libraries and classrooms across the U.S. in its Index of School Book Bans updated for the 2022-2023 school year. READ BANNED IN THE USA REPORT
Mapping hypocrisy
This map was created with ArcGIS Online using data from PEN AMERICA on book bans and details on school shootings from the Washington Post. Combining books bans, school shootings and the elected officials who ban books but not guns helps reveal the hypocrisy of MAGA Republicans ready to sacrifice your kids for their political agenda.
Share this map freely with this link https://arcg.is/1DOWqr0 or embed it in a website with this code: < iframe width="300" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen src="https://arcg.is/1DOWqr0"></iframe>
Read more
Majority of book ban requests were made by only 11 people: analysis
Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges
School censorship data - PEN America
More than352,000students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine
TakeAway: Vote to stop the Republican hypocrisy of banning books but not guns at schools with your children and educators as the victims.
Deepak
DemLabs
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