In Michigan, a gunman storms a Mormon church, killing four worshippers and injuring eight more. At Utah Valley University, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is assassinated in cold blood. In Minneapolis, a shooter opens fire at Annunciation Catholic Church, killing two children—just 8 and 10 years old—and wounding 21 others, most of them young students at the affiliated parochial school.

This is just another six weeks in America. The sobering truth is that mass-shooting events no longer shock us. Gun violence has become grimly familiar. Outrage and despair erupt in the aftermath but fade just as quickly. The cycle repeats.

Among wealthy nations, the United States is an outlier. Our rate of deaths from gun violence is about seven times higher than Canada’s and nearly 340 times higher than that of the United Kingdom. No other country at our level of prosperity faces the same level of risk from gun violence.

This is, at least in part, due to America’s unique relationship with firearms. In this country, guns are symbols of freedom. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. For many, this right is more than historical; it is existential. It guarantees self-defense, deters tyranny, preserves sovereignty over government, and empowers citizens to resist oppression. This is why the U.S. has an estimated 120 firearms for every 100 people—meaning there are more guns than people in this country.

The tension between freedom and safety sits at the heart of our next live debate, which we’re putting on with support from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). On November 5 in Chicago, we will ask: Would America be safer without the Second Amendment?

Tickets are now available for purchase.

The choice of venue is deliberate. Chicago is synonymous with gun violence. For 13 consecutive years, the city has recorded more murders than any other in the nation. To many, Chicago conjures images of gang shoot-outs. It is the right backdrop for this urgent conversation.

And we could not have found two more formidable voices to face off. Dana Loesch, a former National Rifle Association spokeswoman and host of The Dana Show, has been one of the movement’s most visible champions. Her 2014 bestseller, Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America, made her a household name and one of the most prominent gun-rights advocates in the country.

On the other side is Alan Dershowitz, one of America’s foremost lawyers as well as a constitutional scholar and passionate advocate for gun control. To Dershowitz, the Second Amendment is “absurd”—a relic that, if he could rewrite the Constitution, he would eliminate altogether.

Free Press founder Bari Weiss will moderate the debate. It will dig into whether the right to bear arms today is at odds with the common good, or if it is as necessary now as it was in 1791.

VIP tickets include access to our exclusive debate after-party, where you can chat with Bari and members of The Free Press and FIRE teams, mingle with the debaters, and connect with fellow attendees. Plus: strong drinks and great food. You won’t want to miss it. Get your tickets here. And if you’re not familiar with FIRE, head here to learn about the critical work they are doing.

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