By Marshall H. Tanick

Copyright minnpost

Since President Donald Trump, not surprisingly, has shown no inclination, ability or willingness to exercise unifying leadership with respect to gun violence in this country, preferring instead to foment about retribution and vengeance, it’s incumbent upon lower-level public officials to take up the mantle.

The dearth of leadership at the federal level provides an opportunity for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as an example, to do what the president can’t and won’t do.

Walz could convene an Anti-Violence Summit (AVS) comprised of a broad-based gathering of bipartisan political figures, law enforcement personnel, security experts, business and finance people, faith leaders, mental health professionals, representatives of the firearms industry and Second Amendment advocates, judges, media members, social media influencers, educators, parents, students and others to address a number of issues relating to gun violence.

The group should include a cross-section of individuals from various sectors, geographic regions, genders, races, religions (and the irreligious), ages and other features representing the type of desirable diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that Trump so loathes — not to spite him, but to have a knowledgeable and sensitive group with a vast number of perspectives.

Its agenda should include examining the history of gun violence, its root causes, its impact on society, relevant legal issues, and, most importantly, means of ameliorating the gun violence scourge that has developed, among other issues.

After meeting together, the group could then divide into various task forces for more intense, targeted study of these issues and produce a timely report addressing these and other germane matters, with the principal goal of devising recommendations and helping to implement them to curb the crisis that has developed.

Following this approach could be a real boon to the governor if, as anticipated, he shortly launches what promises to be a challenging reelection campaign for an unprecedented third four-year term. The effort could propel him back into the national spotlight on an issue that is likely to be at or near the top of the list of voter concerns during the next few election cycles.

But more important than a political stratagem, summoning an AVS might yield viable recommendations to stakeholders, including the governor, whose main impulse seems to be enactment of more laws, which have proved to be of limited effectiveness in curbing gun violence. This is not to say that legislation is unnecessary or superfluous, but a recognition that it is only one piece of the perplexing puzzle.

If Walz won’t lead this effort, someone else should step up to the plate, perhaps a joint group of a big city mayors, to take charge with the development of an AVS that will not only redound to their credit but also has potential to actually accomplish something beyond offering vacuous “thoughts and prayers,” which seems to be the only effort at the federal level from the Trump administration and its majority MAGA allies in Congress.

Bypassing them, state and local elected leadership should take advantage of the old saw: “Never let a crisis go to waste.”

Marshall H. Tanick is a Twin Cities constitutional and employment law attorney.