On August 24^th, Charleston citizens witnessed the second shooting in the past two years. Just two years after the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting that took the lives of nine people, an aggravated former employee took his rage out on former boss Anthony Shane Widdon. The shooting took place at Virginia’s on King. According to the “Post and Courier”, the gunman shot the former boss for firing him. Later that afternoon, the shooter was apprehended while Widdon was pronounced dead at Medical University of South Carolina. The event was not deemed an act of terrorism, as identified by Mayor John Tecklenburg. Additionally, the gunman was reportedly not suffering from any health problems or mental complications.

In light of this recent heartbreak, it evokes the timeless dilemma of gun violence. What constitutes a legitimate gun purchase? We know that there are already hefty conditions in order to purchase guns. But how often are they actually followed? It’s difficult to gauge one’s intentions when buying firearms, but if the buyer has criminal records or mental health issues it should be a no brainer. The problem with this case is that the shooter had no prior health worries. So, what do we make of this?

It’s a no brainer that there are way too many guns floating around the country. The second amendment is something people take very seriously in America. Naturally, shootings like this are bound to happen when these gun laws are as lenient as they are currently. Personally, I am not sure what the solution to this problem is. Gun control has always been a touchy subject. But, something clearly must be done as far as the awareness of a possible incident. Again, I’m not positive what the solution is, but something must be done. When was the last time you heard of a shooting or murder on television? Odds are, it was pretty recently. The time is now to make a change.

Whether it is tighter security, stricter purchasing laws, or more of a police presence, gun control is a major problem in America. We can’t just stand by and wait for another shooting to occur. Let’s learn from our mistakes and be smarter about how we regulate firearms. We certainly don’t want more innocent lives to pay the price for our negligence.