Lately, it's been difficult to turn on any news station without witnessing a tragedy. Hurricanes, earthquakes and--perhaps, most devastatingly--mass shootings. Although innocent people die in all three of these situations, I think that mass shootings are the greatest tragedies of them all. They are not acts of God or Mother Nature, they are senseless murders.
Every time I hear about another mass shooting, I ask myself the same question:
"How many more innocent people have to die before the government passes stricter gun-control laws?"
I get it. Americans are protective of their guns. The Constitution's Second Amendment grants us that right, after all. But it's time for all gun owners to face an uncomfortable truth.
Your gun is killing people.
Sure, maybe not your gun, but the fact that you even have access to and possess one is a problem. Your unwillingness to tolerate stricter gun-control laws is a problem. Although you may not be doing physical harm with your own weapon, other gun-owners are.
I understand that the world is a scary place and many Americans feel that they need a gun for their own safety. What I don't agree with is the ease with which Americans can purchase them.
After a mass shooting, it seems that America divides into two; either we need more guns to protect ourselves in the event of a mass shooting or we need fewer guns to try to prevent them.
It's obvious which side I am on, but here's why. I am a firm believer that if you fight violence with violence, you will never win. If you combat mass shootings with widespread gun distribution, you will never win. Gun plus gun does not equal safety. Gun plus gun equals more danger.
In my opinion, guns are much too powerful to be given out to everyday citizens. As humans, this is a kind of weapon to which we should have never had access. Guns should be utilized only in extreme situations by licensed professionals.
Obviously, this reversal of gun distribution isn't feasible. At this point, guns are always going to be in circulation. If the government made owning one illegal and destroyed every registered gun, people would still have access to illegal, unregistered ones. Law-abiding citizens would find themselves helpless and at an immense disadvantage.
I understand all of this. In fact, I know many people who are proud gun-owners. I know that humans will always have access to guns. I am not asking for the government to take away guns completely. All I want is for it to be more difficult to get one.
Not everybody should be granted a gun. Applicants should have to go through a much more rigorous pre-screening. Being able to walk into a store and walk out with a gun on the same day proves there is something wrong with our system.
The application to get a gun is less than six pages in length and it is not difficult to lie about one's background and history on the form. Once they are approved, they are allowed to own that gun for the rest of their life, most likely passing it down to a relative or child.
This means that in the United States, it's more difficult to get access to an anti-depressant than it is to get access to a gun. (Patients have to go to expensive appointments with therapists and doctors to be given only a few month's supply of pills.) I can't be the only one who has an issue with this.
Gun sales are continuing to climb at an extreme rate, with the FBI processing over 27.5 MILLION firearm background checks in the year 2016. It's safe to assume that most of these applications were approved. Only 1.6 percent of firearm applicants were denied in the 20 years between 1994-2014.
Something has got to change. America is in the middle of an unnecessary crisis. We have seen over 270 mass shootings in America this year (as the FBI defines it, the slaughter of three or more people in the same location), and 2017 isn't over yet.
It's likely that some of these shootings could have been prevented and now is the time for the government to issue stricter gun control laws. It will only save lives.
