Leaders in Sweden Give More Than Thoughts and Prayers

When you see what US responses to gun violence could be

A heartbreaking shooting in Sweden rocked the world last week, and as my local public radio station broadcast the news, it stopped me right in my tracks. A translator read out part of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s official statement:

“Today we know that many, many people are in the depths of despair. Offer them all the support you can. Many children are frightened, so we must comfort them. We must take care of them. We all have a role to play in overcoming this deep grief.”

The reporter moved on to another story, but I did not. I swallowed back a lump in my throat and fought back tears, not sure what exactly at the moment was overcoming me. Was it the tragedy of the shooting itself? Was it the sad reality that mass shootings are spreading to yet another safe haven? Was it that PM Kristersson’s compassionate words allowed me to feel the immense weight of the event, and of mass shootings in general?

Or was it the feeling that his response was the human reaction we’ve been neglected for years in the US, and that the stark contrast of Sweden’s response allowed me to realize how deep in the twilight zone we are living here.

So far, Sweden’s response puts the U.S.’s trite thoughts and prayers to shame. The King, Queen, and Prime Minister of the country showed up wearing all black to lay wreaths at a memorial site for the victims. Queen Sylvia asked, “Where did the beautiful Sweden go?” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson remarked, “What simply cannot happen has now happened in Sweden.”

In presence and in words, they told the people of Sweden that they were standing with them. They too were at a loss for how such unfathomable destruction could happen to their beloved community. It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t okay.

In a simple, yet poignant way, these leaders gave permission for their entire country to feel the deep cut of this attack, and they signaled to their constituents that they should support one another through that pain. "Feb. 4 will forever mark a dark day in Swedish history. Together, we must help the injured and their relatives bear the grief and weight of this day," Prime Minister Kristersson said. And then speaking to those directly impacted by the shooting, “Your grief is our grief. We are here with you.”

Does it hit you too? The honor showed to victims and to those left behind without them. To me, these simple, compassionate, and steady words are everything that our country is not.

Almost immediately, politicians began discussing what could be done to stop this kind of violence from happening again. I didn’t hear anyone gaslighting the public saying that it couldn’t be helped, or that now wasn’t the time for politics.

What seemed to be a no-brainer for the Swedes in the immediate aftermath was to ban AR-15s, even though the details of what kind of weapon was used in this shooting were not known at the time. The most conservative leadership came right out with this “preventative” response.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer explained their rationale, "In light of the horrible shooting in Orebro earlier this week we believe that the right balance is to roll back the regulation and prohibit that kind of weapon. We know that kind of weapon, with some changes, can become very dangerous and also that it has been used in that kind of shooting in other countries."

More liberal ministers additionally called for reforms to background checks and broader restrictions on gun permits. It should be noted that their current regulations go far beyond what we have in the US.

Days went by, and we learned that many of the victims were immigrants, and the shooter was a white Swedish man. As a US resident, I was prepared to hear rhetoric about the country’s problem with immigration, or with immigrants themselves. But that bracing wasn’t necessary.

Leaders have praised the immigrant community that was attacked, spoke to the hardships they had fled, and lifted them up for contributing to their communities. They stand in unity with them. There is one Sweden, they said.

Yesterday, one week out from the shooting, the country observed a national minute of silence to show solidarity and to pay tribute to those lost and to the grief felt in their absence.

Opposition party leaders spoke together, and they said something meaningful: we are united, we have failed those people and communities who were attacked, and words matter.

All of this is what I long to hear, what we all need to hear in America. It is clear after witnessing this drastically different and genuinely decent response to preventable gun violence, the US has accepted an unacceptable living situation. Our voices have not been respected, and our pain has not been honored. Our lives have not been treasured.

As we stand with Sweden wholeheartedly, let us remember that it doesn’t have to be this way.

As we race to find our bearings in an unbelievably twisted political environment right now, let us right ourselves in a space that cherishes life and community. Let us strive to discover, at long last, our beautiful America.

With love and hope for the future,

Stephanie