Cast of Characters
Actor 1 – Gender Neutral. 20s – 30s.
Actor 2 – Gender Neutral. 20s – 30s.
ACTOR 1
Debbie got one yesterday.
ACTOR 2
Debbie. Little Debbie?
ACTOR 1
I wouldn’t call her that now.
ACTOR 2
Of all the people-
ACTOR 1
And you’re the only one left from Study Hall 251 not to get one.
ACTOR 2
What are we a gang now?
ACTOR 1
No. We’re friends.
ACTOR 2
Well, friends don’t bully other friends into doing something they don’t want to do.
ACTOR 1
We’re not the bullies here.
ACTOR 2
I don’t see anyone else here being asked to buy something that goes against my beliefs.
ACTOR 1
It’s for the greater good. That’s a belief that all of us have, want, and deserve.
ACTOR 2
I told you, I’m not buying one.
ACTOR 1
We already pooled our money together so you’re not technically the one buying the gun.
ACTOR 2
But it will have my name on it.
ACTOR 1
That’s the only way this revolution is going to work.
ACTOR 2
A revolution? Well why don’t you point me to where the muskets are!
ACTOR 1
It needs to be an AR-15.
ACTOR 2
I was joking! I’m not going to get a musket, a Glock, or definitely one of those killing machines!
ACTOR 1
You own a Prius which is technically a killing / machine-
ACTOR 2
No! I’m not going to get a weapon of evil now or ever.
ACTOR 1
Then what are you going to do about all the mass murders that are happening? Wait for lawmakers to not make any laws even though it’s their job and duty to protect all of us? Are we going to keep waiting for the next Columbine, the next Las Vegas, El Paso, Orlando or the next Sandy Hook to happen? Nobody in Washington is doing anything so why not us?
ACTOR 2
You really think that is buying assault weapons is going to help?
ACTOR 1
Nobody is going to listen to us as long as the gun lobby keeps telling the politicians what to do!
ACTOR 2
But giving them our money is still making them rich! They still win!
ACTOR 1
That’s the battle and not the war.
ACTOR 2
Totally inappropriate analogy to use.
ACTOR 1
Is it?
ACTOR 2
This whole thing is crazy.
ACTOR 1
Americans scared to go to a bar, to a concert, to Walmart is crazy? Little kids going to school wearing bulletproof backpacks IS crazy! Crazy times calls for crazy ideas. And this one will work because it has to.
ACTOR 2
So everyone’s already down with this?
ACTOR 1
It’s not just us. The PoC Armed Coalition has started. All the news outlets are being informed. Social Media’s on blast with videos and photos of Americans of Color exercising our 2nd Amendment Rights is in full effect.
ACTOR 2
You’re serious about starting this 21st Century Civil War.
ACTOR 1
We didn’t start anything. Manifestos, hateful chants, and believing that living in America is only meant for one color of skin… that’s what started all of this.
ACTOR 2
And buying up all these weapons isn’t going to resolve that. The hate on both sides will just get louder and louder until the only thing heard is gunfire and the sound of more bodies hitting the ground. Don’t you realize that?
ACTOR 1
The only difference in that scene than what’s happening now is that only one side’s lives are the ones that matter.
ACTOR 2
That’s not America. And that’s not you. Or any of us! Okay, fine. This country is fucked up now. But what’s even more fucked up is the belief that we can be better people. That we can be better humans who can still care about other people. That we can share the excitement of watching a movie together. That we can all love eating pizza, shawarmas, burritos, and hamburgers on a Fourth of July picnic while dancing to Tupac, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Bruno Mars.
ACTOR 1
That version of America feels so far away right now.
ACTOR 2
That was our Fourth of July last year at Central Park.
ACTOR 1
That was a different time.
ACTOR 2
Last year?
ACTOR 1
And last year there were so many families that weren’t torn apart by gun violence. What we’re doing now is to make sure that we can have those kinds of celebrations in the future. We are fighting for the freedom to not live in fear anymore.
ACTOR 2
How is that possible if everyone owns a gun?
ACTOR 1
That’s the point of this war: when the gun lobby, politicians, and the police see millions of PoCs buying guns, they’ll be so scared of what we may do with them that gun control can really happen.
ACTOR 2
You’re putting a lot of faith that that will happen.
ACTOR 1
It happened in the 60s when the NRA lobbied to pass laws against the Black Panthers from openly carrying weapons. We won’t be doing the same thing, but using their fake news to our advantage, they’ll see how many of us will be armed. This is about power and what they think we’ll do with it. The laws they pass because of our action will make all of us safer. Do you really think we can afford to wait any longer?
ACTOR 2
I’m glad that my mom isn’t following me on IG.
ACTOR 1
If we leave now, we can get to Peninsula Guns in an hour to make the evening news.
ACTOR 2
Will Debbie be there?
ACTOR 1
We all will.
BLACKOUT
END OF PLAY