Gun control is a topic of discussion that has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years for good reason. It seems like every month there is a new heart-wrenching story about some lunatic gunning down innocent lives for no comprehensible or justifiable cause. These tragedies always seem to end the same way; the media commends the innocent lives that were lost and scolds the killer. After a certain period of time, the nation falls out of unity and mourning and instead turns on itself. Liberal against conservative, right against left, democrat against republican. Liberal leaders call for increased gun control almost as a reflex, much to the dismay of conservatives everywhere. But what if guns aren't the problem at all? To take protection away from any law-abiding citizen would not only be unjust, it would hardly have the effect that lawmakers hope it will. Criminals kill people, not guns. To take away guns is to treat the symptoms of the disease and not the disease itself.

Vester Flanagan, Dylann Roof, James Holmes, Adam Lanza, Seung Hui-Cho, Aaron Alexis. Recognize some of these names? That is because these men orchestrated some of the deadliest mass shootings in American history. How could we possibly forget them? The incessant media coverage around these types of killings ingrains the names and the faces of these monsters into our heads. We pray and pray for the people that were lost, the children whose lives were cut short, and the men and women targeted while worshiping in peace. It may make sense at first, stricter gun laws, to prevent these psychopaths from getting their hands on a rifle. But again, what's to stop a criminal from breaking the law?

Now, let me ask you something: have you ever heard of any of these names? Joel Myrick, James Strand, Tracy Bridges, Mikael Gross, Jeanne Assam. Probably not, and neither had I. The names listed are heroes to put it simply, all of them were ordinary civilians in the right place at the wrong time. But these people used their constitutional right to bear arms and were carrying a permitted concealed firearm when a potential mass murderer made his move. Each individual confronted and stopped the respective shooters, limiting the amount of casualties and people wounded. Why are they not getting the praise and attention? Why does the media cover the killings at a moment's notice, but not applaud the bravery of the Americans that stood up and prevented another tragedy from happening?

There is a severe problem in America, and it is being overshadowed by the facade of the gun control debate. Of course, we will rarely ever be able to pick out the mentally deranged from the crowd until they expose their true colors, but by then it will have already been too late. Maybe we can find the root of the problem in how we and the media handle these terrible situations. Why not bring the deceased and the heroes into the foreground and leave the maniacs in the background? Why don't we glamorize the first responders and survivors instead of giving the killer the spotlight? The moment we can address the cause of the problem is the moment these killers have lost the battle, and the moment that Americans can retain their right to protect themselves.