I heard about the Orlando mass shooting while I was at work on June 12th. My coworkers and I stopped rolling silverware and polishing glasses to look up at the screen. Big, block letters spelled out headlines across the plasma screen behind the bar. "Worst Mass Shooting in U.S. History," it said. I stood there for about 10 seconds before getting back to work. It felt wrong.

The following morning, I went to work again. I made coffee, brought food to hungry customers, bussed tables...the usual. Then a man walked up to the register. He had a strange look in his eye --didn't respond when I greeted him. He reached around his waist to his pocket, and in a matter of milliseconds, I felt my heart in my temple. It beat wildly, then accelerated when the man drew something black out of his pocket. It was his wallet.

It's true -- this man was no mass murder. He wasn't carrying a gun. He was likely mentally stable. But that didn't keep me from feeling utterly disturbed. I was disturbed by the fact that I had jumped to such conclusions -- that such conclusions were not out of the realm of possibility. It was then that I realized I live in a country that doesn't make me feel safe. I am scared to be in public places (especially heavily populated places). It doesn't stop me from going about my day, but there is a constant uneasiness in the periphery of my thoughts that tells me I am not safe. I look for exits when I go to restaurants, concerts, school. I look around for places to hide when I'm at the airport --items I could use to take cover. I wonder how many people around me are mentally ill... how many are on the verge of unhinging... how many of them own a gun. And that thought scares me.

I'm scared for myself, but more importantly, I'm scared for my friends and family -- the people who I love. Every time there's another tragedy, another mass murder, I'm grateful it wasn't me this time, and that my family and friends were not involved. But then I think, what about tomorrow? Or next week? When will there be another shooting? What if it's a loved one next time?

And there will be a next time. Because if the Orlando mass shooting is anything like the others, there will be another. San Bernardino brought about little to no adequate action -- same with Aurora. Perhaps most appallingly, neither did Sandy Hook -- a school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead. One would think that would be the wake up call. One would think that would cause outrage. One would think that would result in action. Yes, the parents of the Sandy Hook victims are suing Bushmaster, and certain states have passed minimal laws since then. Yet, the most crucial legislation has not been passed. The most dangerous part of these mass murders has not been addressed. And what is so dangerous? What is the crucial component to mass murders? Assault rifles.

No citizen should have access to a rapid-fire assault weapon. Even the law-abiding ones. The parents of the Sandy Hook victims said it well in their complaint as was paraphrased in The Atlantic: "...while the weapon is suitable for the military and for law enforcement -- where it's used for combat and limited police purposes -- in civilian hands, the high-caliber, rapid-fire rifles are essentially killing machines."

And that's what they are. Killing machines. That's what they're built for. So someone please tell me why any civilian should have the right to own one. Someone please tell me when we started putting the ownership of killing machines above the lives of humans.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2016, there have been 23,439 gun-related incidents. These incidents include 6,014 gun-related deaths, 12,310 gun-related injuries, 137 mass shootings and 1,047 accidental shootings. Some of those numbers have probably gone up since I typed it out just 30 seconds ago. If these trends continue, we'll have at least 6,000 more gun-related deaths in 2016. There will be 6,000 more lives lost to gun violence. We can also look at this as 6,000 more lives lost to lack of legislative action.

This is a touchy subject for many people. I want to make it clear that I am not suggesting that all guns be banned -- that the rights of healthy, law-abiding citizens be infringed upon. I understand that many people enjoy hunting, and that's fine. Keep your hunting rifle (if you're mentally stable). But owning a machine gun was never meant to be one of your rights. As the Washington Post points out, "The men who wrote the 2nd amendment would never recognize an AR-15... guns today are capable of inflicting more carnage than anything the framers could have imagined." Not to mention, we have one of the strongest military forces, and therefore, we have no need to be part of a militia, which was the original intent of the 2nd amendment. In which case, we have no reason to own an AR-15, which has been the weapon used in the most recent mass shootings, including Orlando, San Bernardino, Aurora and Sandy Hook.

Some people claim that we should not be pointing fingers at the guns -- that instead we should be pointing fingers at the people using them. And that is true to some extent. In fact, that is part of what gun control is all about...limiting the use of guns by those who should not have them. But it becomes problematic when we start blaming and stereotyping the people of other religions. Islam is not built around hate and the desire to kill. Just like Christianity and Judaism, it is built around peace and goodness. There are certainly terrorists who claim to be Muslims, but they are not true Muslims. Islam and terrorism are not synonymous. Muslims are not the problem. Our relaxed gun laws and lack of adequate background checks (or lack of confiscation in the face of suspicion) are the problems.

Others have suggested that rather than have more restrictions, we should arm teachers -- that we should arm ourselves in everyday situations to prevent mass murders. Quite honestly, I can't think of anything more ineffective. I have had teachers who have struggled with mental illness, and some, as it turns out, have partaken in illegal activity. As much as we hate to admit it, there are even some teachers who should not have guns. Not only are guns a danger in the hands of many teachers, but they are most definitely dangerous in the hands of students -- of children. Even if the weapon is locked and secured, there are always things that can go wrong, and there are always opportunities for guns to land in the wrong hands (as we've seen happen in thousands of households across the United States).

And let's just take a moment to imagine what would happen if everyone in a crowded stadium had a gun on them. The second gunfire and screaming is heard, everyone would pull out their guns. Now almost everyone has a gun, so how does anyone figure out who the shooter is? Suddenly you see someone shoot another person, so you shoot them, thinking they're the dangerous shooter. Then someone shoots you because they think you're the shooter. Now everyone is shooting everyone, and more people have died. That is no solution. Lack of gun ownership is not the problem. Our lack of gun control is the problem.

Many lives could have been saved if we had taken action sooner. Sadly, we can't change that now. It's too late. But it's not too late for the future. We can extend the lives of those who would have died if we did nothing. We can choose to contact legislators. We can choose to take action. We can refuse to forget about Orlando and San Bernardino and Aurora and Sandy Hook.

This issue bothers me more than anything. It makes me feel sick. It provokes a level of anger inside of me that I did not know existed. It exhausts me. But, more than anything, it scares me. I'm scared to have children one day -- to bring them into a world where they could be killed at school. I'm scared to see the news at work...this time unsure of the safety of my loved ones. I'm scared that we'll keep letting this happen. No, I'm not just scared. I'm terrified.