By John McKeon

The NFL is not just a source of entertainment, but a microcosm of our current cultural and political landscape. Whether it’s conversations about superstar Taylor Swift dancing in the Kansas City Chiefs suite or debates surrounding players using games as a platform for social justice and activism, the league often reflects the interests and sentiments of the larger moment.

The NFL has recently made headlines for cracking down on what it considers “unsportsmanlike conduct” regarding player celebrations. In one game, New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he made a finger gun gesture after completing a stunning 41-yard catch.

Earlier this season, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London was penalized and fined for mimicking shooting a gun in the air after scoring a touchdown. This came just days after the Falcons hosted the Apalachee High School football team, which tragically lost two students and two teachers in a school shooting. London later apologized, saying, “There’s a lot of gun violence going on in the world that I don’t think I should have shown there.”

Whether the players or fans see the calls as justified, it’s clear the NFL is taking a firm stand and making tough calls in response to the growing sensitivity surrounding gun violence in the United States. Similar to how tech companies changed the gun emoji to a water gun in the wake of ongoing mass shootings, the NFL is playing defense, taking extra care not to promote violence to its large and impressionable audience.

It is absurd that while a celebratory finger gun may draw the ire of the NFL, our elected officials in Congress continue to sidestep the gun violence epidemic – despite having the power to address change.

If a simple gesture on the football field can spark a conversation about accountability, then our lawmakers in Washington should be able to take some responsibility for their role in delaying meaningful gun reform. In the face of this inaction, the epidemic of gun violence claims new victims every day.

Legislation requiring universal background checks or red flag laws, two effective measures with overwhelming public support, remain stalled in Congress. Proposals to reinstate the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have faltered, even as these weapons of war continue to claim the lives of students, grocery store workers, or people in their houses of worship. While most of our country recognizes that action is long overdue, some leaders are on a years-long losing streak against common sense.

While federal action on gun violence has gained little ground, individual states have had to come up with their own game plans to protect their residents.

New Jersey’s policy is particularly effective: Everytown for Gun Safety ranks our state seventh overall for gun safety, with one of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the country. This is not a streak of luck; is due in large part to extensive legislative action taken in our state to reduce gun violence.

We have mandated background checks for gun purchases and instituted a red flag law to prevent people in crisis from accessing a firearm. Our concealed carry permit system is one of the most comprehensive in the country. In 2023, we proudly became the first state in the nation to prosecute gun traffickers for deaths and injuries caused by an illegally trafficked firearm.

Perhaps most importantly, we banned the purchase and possession of assault weapons in the state, an important step in protecting public safety. Gun laws and regulations are working, but if federal lawmakers continue to ignore the playbook, communities will continue to be vulnerable to preventable violence and death.

As the NFL grapples with gun violence on the field, it reminds us that it takes more than symbolic gestures to prevent future tragedies. As the NFL sets high standards of accountability for its players, it’s time for members of Congress to step up and match these displays of empathy with legislative action.

Senator John McKeon has represented Essex County’s 27th Legislative District since 2002.

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