There is a lot of craziness going on in this day and age. People are getting screwed out of healthcare and/or work, going to war, and have difficulty going through their day to day life.

With so much at once, it’s easy to get lost in translation and ignore other issues that are still very real to our society.

One is mental health, or more specifically, ailments and disorders that are frequently ignored. They can sometimes be dangerous and even deadly.

Yet those with these disorders are still able to purchase firearms and put other people's lives in danger as well as their own. They are able to take their frustrations out on the rest of the world and get away with it until it's too late. Innocent bystanders just living their day to day lives, some with a spouse and children, others aspiring to be something big, brutally murdered without being at fault. Afterwards, a national debate regarding whether or not to perform universal background checks prior to selling firearms. This goes on for a few weeks then stops until the next massacre occurs.

Why do we stop having the conversation?

Why does this life threatening issue constantly get stalled, leaving too many people without the proper treatment they need to contemplate these complex schemes to get the attention they so desperately crave? Is it really because of the split in political views between democrats and republicans? Or is it deeper than that?

Some people may believe that gun laws have been the same for many years and therefore should not be ratified. However, they fail to take into account that times have changed since the 18th-20th centuries when you could get away with much more than you can now. Others may just be greedy in thinking that everyone deserves to protect themselves so the sellers earn a larger profit. It is perfectly acceptable to protect yourself, but there is a way to do so without endangering others.

Not everyone who is mentally ill will actually go on shooting sprees just to make a name for him or herself and these rampages occur without any warning signs. But if there are any, they oftentimes go ignored because some of us are too busy worrying about our personal/professional lives and don’t really give a damn until we’re faced with the issue head on. Or the person(s) that knows is too scared to come forward, forced to keep quiet, or an accomplice. Whatever the situation, it is impossible to assume whether or not a person can purchase a firearm just by looking at them. Also some disorders go undiagnosed and/or untreated as well.

Universal background checks are a great way to promote the safety of the common good and keeping others from making a fatal mistake. Although merchants may end up losing money in the process, they are protecting others much better than a gun can.