“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” - Bill of Rights, 2nd Amendment
144 were children and teenagers.
These statistics above are from the 126 mass shootings since 1966. The Gun Violence Archive’s definition of a mass shooting is an attack where four or more people are injured or killed. If we use this definition there has already been 136 mass shootings in the United States this year. It is only June. Now, if you wish to exclude gang related and domestic incidents, the definition I will use throughout this article because the following statistics are based on this definition, there have been three this year resulting in 61 deaths. These are our children, our friends, our peers and our families. As a country we have 5% of the world’s population, but you know what we also have? 31% of the worlds public mass shootings. We can not allow for this to continue. Time is of the essence.
The controversial debate over gun rights has sparked after the recent attack at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Today I join that conversation. We as a country must talk about gun rights, gun laws, and an action plan that is going to protect us. We must engage in open-minded conversations with each other to find a solution. So, the question is what changes are WE going to make?
A common proposal is banning assault rifles. The large number of people I have personally talked to support this idea. In 1994, the 1994 Assault Weapon Law was passed to ban all semi-automatic rifles, but only if they had a detachable magazine: a collapsible stock, a pistol grip, a bayonet mount, a flash suppressor, or a grenade launcher. This law expired in 2004. Many argue it is time for this law to once again be reinforced, but this time the law should include a ban on ALL assault weapons. But, I am here to raise the question if banning assault weapons will actually help.
Today, the number of murders by an assault rifle is 36% lower than the last year the law was enforced proving it was not entirely effective. Here is part of the reason. Assault rifles are not the sole contributor to America's gun violence. Yes, they are a piece, but banning them will not solve our problems. I will agree, semi-automatic rifles are typically used in mass shootings. However, in 2015 there were approximately 12,000 gun related deaths and of these deaths 39 were a result of a mass shooting. That means that in 2015 less than 1% of deaths were due to mass shootings. So, a ban on assault rifles may reduce the occurrences of mass shootings, but it will not solve the gun violence in America. In 2014, the FBI collected data that said 47% of gun related deaths were a result from being shot with a HANDGUN. Guess how many people died from being shot with an assault rifle? 2%.
I said above that 12,000 people died from gun violence in 2015. Well, approximately 25,000 people were injured. I don’t think anyone would oppose the argument that there is a major gun violence problem here in the United States. So, what do I think? I think that our second amendment right is killing us, literally. The youngest victim in the history of mass shootings in the US was just eight months old. A responsible mother would ground their child if they were being inappropriate, right? Well, it is time for America to be that tough mother and take control of this situation.
No one wants to take away your guns. But, 50 people were brutally murdered last week, and that is just a small portion of the number of lives that have already been taken from us and will continue to be taken this year. Besides gun ownership being a right of ours another objection is the following: If I don’t have a gun how will I protect myself? The reason we ask this question is because we feel like we have to be armed to protect ourselves from others because they might be armed. We don’t feel safe anymore. Shootings are happening everywhere from churches, to schools, to offices, to movie theaters, to clubs and so on. Schools and businesses represent 7 out of 10 destinations for active shootings. Sandy Hook, Columbine, Virginia Tech, San Bernardino are just a few on the disgustingly long list.
Personally, one of my biggest fears is someone breaking into my house. I have thought about this intensely as I write this article. With my current proposal if I wanted to own a gun, so that I could protect myself from my biggest nightmare, I couldn’t. There have been some incidents that an armed robbery has occurred in a public place, and another armed citizen was able to act and save lives. If our right to bear arms was to be taken that civilian would not have been able to save the lives of those innocent people. Yes, this scares me and it is certainly a valid objection to my thoughts.
According to Gun Violence Archive this year there has already been a little over 24,000 reported incidents involving a gun. Now, this does not mean that someone was injured or killed in each of these incidents. These are reported incidents where a gun was present. This data states approximately 1,000 of these incidents were home invasions and 735 were deemed as self-defense cases. These numbers represent an extremely small portion of the 24,000 incidents. They still happen though, and I get that. Like I said previously, we have these fears because there is a high probability that the people around us are carrying a gun. Well, if guns were not for sale this would make it more challenging for people to obtain them; therefore, hopefully decreasing the number of these horrible incidents. We would be able to feel safer in our community.
I said hopefully right? Well, I said it because I don’t have the perfect answer. I have seen many comments floating around recent articles expressing the concern that banning guns will not stop people from getting them. You are right. Drugs are illegal, but people still find them. Since 1966, a total of 244 guns have been used to kill our people in mass shootings. Shooters bring not one, but an average of four guns to each shooting. Out of the collected guns from these mass shootings, 140 out of the 244 guns were obtained legally compared to the 39 that were obtained illegally. That says something. The people that have passed the background checks and are licensed to carry are the majority of the people using them to kill us.
As Americans we own more guns than any other country. In 2007 American citizens together owned about 270 million guns. That is enough to arm every person in Indonesia and still have some left over. That was nine years ago, so the numbers have definitely increased. I have thrown a lot at you, so just think about all of this for one second before I leave you with my final thought.
I repeat no one, including me, wants to take away OUR right to bear arms. But, our right does not give us permission to kill innocent people. The United States of America is experiencing a crisis right now and extreme situations call for extreme measures. Let's face reality. What we are doing now is not working. Look at the statistics. Those are facts, not my opinions.
Is it fair to punish all Americans for certain individuals actions? No. But, in reality we are being punished right now because our friends, family, and our country's people are being brutally murdered. I think it is time America becomes that mother, and sees our “right” now as a privilege. In my opinion, we as a country have lost that privilege. This mom comparison may seem overly simplistic for the magnitude of this problem, but why? Is this ideology not relevant anymore because we are adults and can make our own decisions? Well, some adults we are. Some community we are.
What is the alternative? We all strap up, so we can be ready at all times. Do we teach every child to shoot a gun because they can't even go to the movie theater without being scared. So, we should continue to instill fear, distrust, and hatred in our children and communities. What kind of society is that? The hunger games? I don't see any positive future with this alternative.
It is easy to feel sad, hopeless, and inexpressible anger for the victims, their families, their friends, and their communities. But, we are their community. Look at it this way it could have been you, or your sibling, your mom, your dad, your significant other, your eight month old baby, or someone you knew. If you don’t want to give up your gun to be selfless enough to protect the others in our community, then be selfish enough to protect yourself. We have to try and be brave enough to do something different. My words may seem harsh. We are all one and I have looked at many of the opposing arguments. This country has given us these amendments to protect our freedom. But, this is not freedom. We are living in fear, people are dying, we are dealing with lives.
So, I want to end by extending my love and thoughts to all the people that have been hurt by these tragedies. I stand by you! No one in this world should walk in fear and it is time to make a hard, yet brave decision to attempt something different to halt the gun violence in this country. There is no perfect solution. There is no way to make everyone happy. But, what is going to make our people safe. Not just feel safe, but be safe. The shooting in Orlando and many of the other massacres we have witnessed on our very own soil are not merely representations of gun violence, but of pure discrimination. Hopefully, one day we will all be able to see people as people. But, until then let us make sure people can not take the lives of others out of hate so easily.
