The liberal call for gun control as a “solution” to mass shootings has been amplified since the horrific and homophobic massacre in Orlando on June 12. In certain respects the call makes sense. Should we live in a society with fewer guns? Of course. Does the right wing’s commitment to guns reek of double standards? Definitely. Are gun lobbies such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) absurdly powerful? Absolutely.

However, the current emphasis on gun control shifts focus away from the core cause of the Orlando massacre: the systematic oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people of color. It also ignores the historic and ongoing racialization of gun legislation, while reifying a narrative that legitimates state violence by the police and the military.

Since the Orlando massacre mainstream articles, analyses, and even cartoons about how easy it is to acquire a gun have proliferated. Gun control was a major theme at the June 13 Stonewall Inn vigil in New York City. A call for politicians to “get the guns off the streets” was met with strong applause from the four-thousand-plus crowd, and every elected official who spoke extolled the virtues of gun control and their record on the issue.