Let's recap: in part one, I talked about why the gun argument that dominates both social and mainstream media is a waste. Part two discussed the historical events leading up to the creation of the Second Amendment. I talked about the legal limitations on many of our rights in part three, while part four went over the issues with 'common sense' gun laws from left and right. Part five explored the folly of comparing United States gun laws to that of other countries, part six talked about how people misconstrue the facts in order to fit their own biases and part seven presented where we can readjust certain laws to strengthen the lawful gun owner.

So after all of that, what's next? Plenty, unfortunately. There are still things that ultimately need to be fixed before we can move forward as an armed society.

We need to address crime, especially when it comes to gangs.
Criminals care not for laws -- just see the murder numbers in Chicago, which went up 72% from the previous year in the first three months of 2016 despite strict gun laws. Adding to those numbers, gang activity is on the rise, especially in densely populated areas. Much of this stems from a particular mindset regarding money, materialism and power, especially in how to acquire all three in as quickly as possible. Many gang members hate the idea of going to jail or prison, but the fear of losing power overrides that. Gangs also contribute heavily to smuggling, and not just imports, either: from 2010 to 2012, about 212,887 weapons were purchased legally in the U.S. each year and then smuggled to Mexico. If that many guns are escaping from our own borders, we need to look at how many also end up in the hands of domestic gangs.

We need to change our attitude regarding guns.
In our country, we have a tendency to associate guns with power, as if the possession of guns turns us into either Superman, the Punisher or the Kingpin (depending on perception). A gun without intent and will to act is nothing more than an object, and a powerful object it is. However, it's a tool with a very specific purpose: to destroy. Having a gun does not truly preclude a person from victimization; only training can contribute to that while reducing accidents. Yes, guns can be a fun hobby and yes, guns can be used in a defensive manner, but to place some sort of ego-based necessity to their presence (like the idea that being prevented from owning one is castration) is simply not sound. Through education, we can increase awareness and respect for such powerful machines instead of pushing for restrictive laws without understanding much about guns.

We need to discuss suicides and mental health.
As touched on in the last article, suicides are a big issue when it comes to guns. While gun-related violent crimes are dropping, gun suicides are rising. In part four, I talked about how mental health bills tend to be something politicians like to fall back on as some sort of scapegoat, but not actually commit to, which is a shame because gun suicides outnumber homicides nearly 2:1. In 2012, guns accounted for half of all suicides. Mental health has always been approached with a stigma, but if we can get past that, we can prevent more unnecessary deaths.

We've got a long way to go before we can come together as a gun culture nation, but that doesn't mean we can't. Recognizing all the problems we face is the first part. The second part -- doing something -- is the hardest because it means stepping on some amount of toes with every step we take. If we're willing to set aside the 'us vs. them' mentality on both sides of the argument, we can become a more educated and responsible gun nation.