I know that we've all heard by now about the horrific massacre in Las Vegas. So many people lost their lives on a night when they should have been allowed to have fun and enjoy themselves. However, the idea of mass shootings has unfortunately become a semi-regular part of American life. This attack does not stand alone and we remember Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown, Aurora and Columbine.

Although I have not reached my 20th birthday yet, four of the top five deadliest mass shootings in American history have happened in my lifetime. I am also aware that especially in the last decade, every time an incident like this occurs there is a call for Congress to pass some sort of gun control or reform legislation. Has there been any sort of sweeping legislation that has completely taken away gun ownership for a significant percentage of the population? No. Will it ever happen? I can't predict the future but I can tell you why we won't pass gun reform any time soon.

1. Individualism

I know you're looking at this screen like what could those two things possibly have to do with one another, but hear me out. In America, we place so much weight on individual rights, and self-authorship and entitlement. Not that any of those things are inherently bad but when you couple it with the fact that our government and society preach these things and then actively defy them, it gets a little muddy. No American is ever willing to see the side that sometimes giving up your "inalienable" rights may actually protect more of the population than keeping those rights and saving yourself. Because obviously, as Americans we're so self-important that the good of the whole is never as useful as the good of ourselves. So basically, the right to bear arms will never be curtailed simply because taking away one individual right to save all of humanity is, by America's definition, wrong.

2. The Constitution

I know that for some people the Constitution is right below the bible in terms of importance. For other people, it is the bible. Yes, I am aware that the right to bear arms is in the Constitution. I am also aware that amendments to the Constitution have been made many times. That right to bear arms can form of place of actual fear. Whee British soldiers could come into colonial homes and do whatever they pleased and people had no way to protect themselves. There's no imminent threat of that happening anymore. So why do we still need guns? Also, why do everyday people need assault rifles? And don't give me that "well the good guys with guns are out to stop the bad guys with guns" b.s. because if that were the case, then somebody would've had a gun to prevent some of these mass shootings but that hasn't happened yet. So where are all these "good guys with guns?" I also think the Constitution just needs to be amended in general because it's just an outdated piece of paper that people worship unnecessarily but that's another article I could write.

3. Capitalism

America is a capitalist society; that isn't a secret. That's why our elections have so much to do with money. I know every gets emails from candidates to ask them to give $1 or $5 to help them campaign. That's because campaigns are expensive. Basically, everything in American exists because money can be made off it. Again you ask, "but what does this have to do with guns?" In 2013, firearm and ammunition sales totaled a whopping $8 billion dollars according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. If any industry makes that much money and said money may or may not go to fund campaigns, do you really think the government based on our capitalist principles is going to single-handedly kill said industry even if it means keeping people safe? Of course not, there's money to be made.

4. Hands in Our Elections

Ah PACs, the most American thing about our elections. PACs are political action committees that consist of businesses and organizations that raise and spend money in order to get certain candidates defeated or elected. Basically, unlike traditional lobbyist that do also raise money, they only focus on singular issues. PACs instead publicly want to elect or defeat certain candidates. For exmple for the 2015-2016 year the top PAc was the National Association of Realtors who raised close to $4 million dollars. So if you really thought only your everyday citizen casting their vote affected the elections in America you are very wrong. Lobbyists and their single issues also play a role in our elections. The National Rifle Association spent almost $4 million dollars lobbying Congress in 2015 to, as you may have guessed, keep gun laws lax so they could continue to make money. So gun reform might get passe dif at some point our government isn't being funded by outside sources but I don't see that ending anytime soon.

My mother said something startling but true to me a few years ago, "If they didn't pass gun control after some little white kids got killed at school, they're never going to." She was referring to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. It has been five years and nothing has been done. In fact, the U.S. House of Representatives voted earlier this year to overturn a regulation implemented during the Obama administration to require background checks on sales of firearms to customers receiving disability benefits and living with a mental health condition.

So while I'd love to remain hopeful that something will change and make America safer, I'm not going to do that. And I'm not even suggsting that we take away all guns from everyone ever because I know America wouldn't let that happen. Let's just ban them under most circumstances or make them extrememly hard to obtain. Earlier this year a congressional baseball practice experienced a shooting. And the saddest part is that none of those congresspeople will be willing to vote for gun reform.