I questioned my need to write this article, considering the controversial nature of gun control. But in light of recent events, I feel that I need to. I grew up in central southern Virginia. It is a beautiful area filled with small towns and wonderful people. The habitual national violence of the last few years saddened people, but nobody thought anything like that could happen to our community. Until it did. For those of you who don't know, an unspeakable tragedy touched our community and one of our local television stations, WDBJ7. A gunman murdered two reporters while they were filming a live report.

I am so heartbroken and so angry. This is not supposed to happen here. This violence has given me a chance to reflect on our nation's values and decisions. I am so tired of hearing about innocent people being murdered in our country. How many people need to be killed before we as a nation reevaluate our laws on gun control and our broken mental health system? When something like this happens in your own backyard, it becomes such an important issue to discuss. So what is the answer?

Growing up in the South, the Second Amendment is basically the 11^th Commandment. The Second Amendment in its entirety states, “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.” I understand and respect this amendment. But I also support gun control regulations. There is no reason one should need a military assault rifle or semi-automatic, like the one the gunman used last Wednesday. If you are using a gun for hunting or protection, which are really the only two reasons you need one, there is no need for a gun with multiple rounds. There is also no need for the "gun show loopholes" and deregulation of private sales.

But our laws, locally and federally, do not seem to support public disapproval of violence. Virginia law does not regulate the transfer or possession of 50-caliber rifles or large capacity ammunition magazines. In regards to background checks, Virginia law, as well as federal law, states that a background check prior to the transfer of a firearm between unlicensed individuals is not needed. There is also no waiting period prior to the purchase of a gun. These laws, or lack thereof, exhibit the national issue as a whole.

The overwhelming fear of gun owners is government overreach. Let me be clear. If the aforementioned regulations were nationally implemented, it does not mean the government will take away your guns. If you are a law-abiding citizen, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be allowed to have a gun, but we as a nation need to reassess the importance we place in the Second Amendment over the welfare of our citizens.

I wish that this tragedy hadn’t happened to our community. My home is now another statistic for gun violence. The unfortunate fact though is that more violence like this is bound to happen. This cycle of gun violence, national outcry, and return to normalcy has become customary. When will enough be enough? When will we truly want to change our country?