As we enter the new year, we go in the same way we left 2016, with unnecessary tragedies. Although many of us were hoping to leave 2016 behind and start a new year that would be our year, other people had different ideas. On Friday, the Fort Lauderdale Airport witnessed a tragic shooting that killed five and wounded eight. Innocent people with vacation and family on their mind were struck with panic or would never make it to their destination.

Only six days into the year, and last year's mass shootings have decided to join us in 2017. From 1996-2012 almost a third of the mass shooting occurred in the U.S. Imagine, there are 196 countries in the world and only one, the one we live in, has produced one third of all the shooting that have occurred world wide. How have we let this happen? Why is this happening in our country? The country for the brave and the free. We're supposed to be the country that everyone looks up to, but instead we seem to be setting a bad example.

For almost all the mass shootings that have occurred in 2016, the suspect has had a psychological or mental disorder. Even in this situation, these people are still in possession of a gun. Why do we allow people that are in need of help mentally carry around a weapon that is so detrimental to all around them. It is understandable that everyone deserves freedom, but not when the freedom of many more are at risk. I believe that residents of the United States deserve to own a gun if they wish to, but people with mental disabilities, psychological disorders, and people who live in the same household as these people should not be allowed to own a gun. In my opinion, guns are not the problem, but the people behind them are. For the own safety of these distressed people and those around them, there should be a law that prohibits mentally unstable humans to be in possession of a firearm. If something like this were to be passed, we could save the lives of hundreds of people. Sure, people who are attempting to commit a mass murder could find other ways to be in possession of a firearm, but it would be much harder.

We have to learn that guns aren't the problem, the people behind them are. And so are the people that idly stand by and don't do anything to try to make it illegal for certain people to be in possession of a gun, especially someone who is being investigated by the police of the FBI. It is absurd for someone who is being investigated to have the ability to own a gun. We must stand together as a country and come up with a solution for all these mass shooting. #BrowardStrong #954