There have been 18 school shootings so far within the first 45 days of the new year. Now, not all 18 accounts are what comes to mind when we hear "school shooting." The number accounts for every incident that involved a firearm at a school. 8 of these 18 accounts though, result in death.

Even though people are saying 18 isn't the proper statistic to be bringing up in the whole "gun debate"; however, one school shooting is one too many. Period.

So why are our politicians telling us "it's not the time to talk about gun control?" Why is it not the time to talk about this when children are terrified to go to school? Why is it not the time to talk about this when parents are living in houses with an empty bed with no child to fill? Why is it not the time to talk about this when teachers now have classrooms with empty desks?

Children who simply made the decision to show up to school in order to pursue their education either fell victim or witnessed such a horrid crime on February 14th. This is the time to talk about reform.

I grew up with divorced parents which meant I lived in two different households. One was set in the north-west suburbs of Chicago and the other was in a small town in central Illinois called Atlanta (not to be confused with the Georgia one).

In the small town, I grew up shooting guns, going hunting, all of that fun stuff the second amendment allows me to do. Everyone in the area had a respect for their weapons and rarely was there any incidents with guns. So from this side of my life, guns played a good role. I never had any bad memories with guns for I used them for hobby purposes. I never dreamed of associating them with violence towards another human.

However, on the flip side, in the suburbs, I also grew up watching the local news about Chicago and hearing news reports about gunshot victims and gun violence. But Chicago was 40 miles from me, it didn't mean anything to me.

Now, I live in Phoenix and in a part of Phoenix that is the equivalent to south-side Chicago in the amount of gun violence. I remember the first week living in this city there was a shootout at the gas station right down the street from where I live. Now, the gun violence is near me.

Whenever the word "gun" gets involved with a crime, tensions arise tremendously within our political and societal circles.

People hold strong opinions to whatever side they hold and rightfully so. I understand the views the law-abiding gun owners have when they hear gun control. I also, understand the fear people hold when they live in an area with gun violence. Each side of the "gun control" issue makes valid arguments. Whether or not you want to admit the other side does have good points, both do.

However, things missing from today's debates are people who listen to actually listen. Now a day's people listen to reply. One side holds the view that guns are the problem. The other holds the view that it holds that school shootings, even mass shootings, are due to mental health problems. However, I believe that it is more than those two problems. But let's take a look at other countries and see what they have to say.

Australia is a country that has a fairly similar tale as the United States. In 1901 Australia gained their independence from Britain, sound familiar? When they created their constitution they also gave themselves the right to bear arms in order to prevent possible government tyranny. Ringing any bells?

However, in 1996 their government had a huge crackdown on their gun laws due to a mass shooting that resulted in 35 people not returning home to their families that day and 23 making an unexpected trip to the hospital. After this crackdown, Australia hasn't had a mass shooting since.

How did a country with a similar history as the United States be able to become so united in a cause that could possibly prevent further violence? Why is it that the U.S. cannot become a united force to help solve the problem even though we see gun violence left and right? What does this say about our society?

To continue, Japan is one of the countries with the lowest gun violence rate. In fact, last year police officers shot only six rounds of bullets. How can this be? In order to obtain a gun in Japan, one must attend an all-day class, pass a shooting exam with 95% accuracy, and pass a written exam. Citizens must also pass a mental health exam and a drug test. They also have to agree to a yearly house inspection to ensure the firearms and ammunition are stored properly and are only allowed certain types of firearms, no citizen can own a handgun.

Again, I ask: we look at these other countries with these amazing statics for low gun violence and their political policies that promote safe gun behavior - why aren't we doing anything to mimic this? Their citizens still have the right to firearms, but they have safety precautions set up that is obviously working.

In the preamble of our United States Constitution, that the right-wing loves to protect the original meaning of, states that we the people are to promote the general welfare and domestic tranquility.

How is not making the topic of gun violence enter into our politicians topic of conversation promoting the general welfare and domestic tranquility of the children who are terrified to go to school? Of the parents who are afraid to send their children to an institution that is supposed to keep them safe for eight hours of their day?

Oh, wait! That's right the NRA spent over five million dollars last year in lobbying to our politicians because the power of the purse has a more powerful sway to our politicians than the five people who actually contact their representatives.

The other side of the story is that it's not a gun issue, it's a mental health issue! And as a psychology major, yes I totally agree with you. However, as a psychology major, I have to point out that anyone at anytime can have a mental breakdown and be considered "unstable" for a short amount of time and then bounce back afterward — even after mental health screening has taken place. Secondly, these "tests" are simple questionnaires that take about five minutes to complete and are easy to fudge if you know what you're doing.

So yes, mental health screening should be taken place, but how it is done needs major reform. Maybe have a professional psychologist conduct the exam. And maybe we need to do these tests every so often as well. Even with this, this isn't the perfect answer to solve America's gun violence. Just a few thoughts from my perspective.

As someone who grew up shooting guns, had guns in the household, I fully understand the comfort of having a firearm in the home for protection brings. I also understand the fun hobby of shooting guns and hunting. I grew up in a household where my father instilled in my brothers and I the importance of gun safety and not being an idiot with the weapon.

He did not sugar coat it when he gave us our gun safety lessons. He made sure we knew we were holding a weapon, not a toy. They are dangerous and can lead to devastating consequences.

My brothers and I never had any accidents growing up with guns. So for me, as I have said earlier, I naturally do not see a gun as a weapon of violence towards another human. I understand why a law-abiding citizen would want to keep their firearms.

However, I fail to see why an everyday citizen has the necessity to own a firearm that can shoot 600 rounds in one minute. If you need that much fire power to do your hunting, you need to rethink how you're doing things because you're a terrible hunter if that is the case.

But, mainly people argue: "I should own whatever gun I want so I can defend myself in a government uprising". First off, no.

Yes, the second amendment was created so that we as the citizens could protect ourselves from tyranny. BUT I don't see your automatic weapon helping you defend yourself against a tank, or bomber plane, or even a nuclear warhead. Sorry, bud but the government is going to have the upper hand no matter what nowadays.

Yes, mental health is an issue that needs to be resolved. We as a nation need to take a deep look at ourselves, our culture, our society, and our values to see why these mental illnesses are on the rise. Mental illness isn't the only factor in this though.

Yes, guns are the main weapon of choice when it comes to any violence. People who advocate for gun control are not asking citizens to hand over all of their firearms. They are asking to rid the possibility of obtaining weapons that are unnecessary for any normal citizens to have in their arson.

Yes, people can cause harm in many other ways but you can't do as much harm is such short amount of time as these sick people are showing us who are committing these mass murders.

We need revision in our gun policy.

We need people talking to their representatives in D.C. they are there to represent YOU, not the NRA.

How can a politician properly represent their district or state if no one is talking to them? We need to impose a stricter system for obtaining firearms in general, similar to Japan. We need to ban certain weapons that can shoot a lot of rounds in a matter of seconds, similar to Australia.

We as a nation need to come together and fight for a cause to make our nation safe.

We don't need to take away the rights of those who enjoy being a marksman or a hunter or someone who wants to protect their family in case of invasion.

We need to come together as a nation and admit that guns are a problem. If you are a law-abiding, sound citizens there should be no problem for you to maintain your second amendment rights even after reform has taken place. In this nation, riding guns will never pass, so do not get your knickers in a twist. But be okay with legislation that will promote safety for our children, our wives, our husbands, our brothers, and our sisters.

Students, past students, there's this fear now entering into a place where we pay to go to get an education that there might be a gunman at school that day. I can attest that the day after the Florida shooting, fewer kids showed up in my lectures out of fear of going to class even though we have one of the safest campuses in the nation.

If you're a parent, imagine the horror you would feel as you waited five hours outside of your child's school to see whether or not they are alive.

Let's stop normalizing gun violence and make a difference. Talk to your representatives. Talk to your children, your co-workers, your family, your classmates on their stance on the issue. Don't try to correct them if they think differently than you. Try to understand. Respond with your respectful reasoning as to why you disagree. Make it a conversation, not a debate.

Let's prevent another shooting. But there can be no prevention if no one talks about it.