I'm about to show you a statistic and after you read it, I want you to sit and think about what it means.

There have been 351 incidents of mass gun violence in the United States in the year of 2015. We are only through 333 days as of right now.

351.

This means that there have been more incidents than days in the year of 2015.

Now, to clarify a few things, when I refer to an incident of mass gun violence, I am acknowledging any events where "four or more people are shot in a spree or setting, likely without a cooling off period." This definition acknowledges that incidents of mass gun violence can include people being shot as well as people being murdered. Whether or not the people are actually killed is irrelevant to the fact that it is indeed mass gun violence.

351.

In light of the recent Planned Parenthood shooting and the multiple college campus shootings in the past month, it has occurred to me that even with 2016 presidential candidates', Congress members', President's, and multiple media outlets' acknowledgments that this violence must come to a stop, there has yet to be substantial change.

This is not an issue we can place on the back burner or let Congress argue to its death. This is not solely a mental health issue. This is not about what race or gender or ethnic background or level of education is more prone to violence. This is about restricting or eliminating civilian access to guns.

What has been the common denominator in all of these mass shootings? People had access to guns, kinds of guns that are not used for hunting or recreation.

Look at England, for instance, a country that has extremely restricted civilian access to guns. New York Magazine reported in October of this year that, "The most current statistics available show that firearms were used to kill 59 people in all of England and Wales in 2011, compared with 77 such homicides that same year in Washington, D.C., alone." The same types of statistics have been reported in Australia, who passed similar gun-restriction legislation to England in 1996.

These countries with tighter gun-restrictions are not void of all gun violence, but there is a great difference in instances of homicide and mass shootings. People like Donald Trump and many other republicans have frequently called for more guns as a solution to the problem of mass violence. They claim that if everyone had a gun to defend themselves then we wouldn't have so many people killed. But why is it that we are addressing this problem by adding more of the same ingredient that is causing the problem in the first place? At least four police officers were wounded and one killed in the Colorado Springs shooting this past week. Those police officers had guns. Yet 3 people were killed and at least 9 were injured. More guns don't always solve the problem.

The reason I call for such a drastic change to gun regulation is because it's the only thing that can keep the largest amount innocent people from dying . Not giving people more guns. Not trying to address mental illness more rigorously. And while mental illness is absolutely an issue that needs to be discussed independently, it is too frequently used as a red herring to avoid talking about taking the proper steps to decrease mass gun violence.

To all the avid Second Amendment supporters, I would say I am just as much a fan of the Constitution as you are. I also believe that the Constitution was written in a different time and social climate, where the possibly of 351 mass shootings in a year probably seemed entirely unlikely. The Constitution has been changed. Our government is not set up so that the Constitution cannot be amended, and I think it's time that we take a look at value we are putting into the Second Amendment over protecting innocent civilian lives and the safety of institutions and social settings.

To all the avid Second Amendment supporters, I would say, is it worth it? Is it worth it to you that all Americans have access to practically any type of gun they want, that restrictions be so minimal, if it means that innocent lives are being taken every week, day, and hour? Is it worth it to let students like me go to school in fear every day because you never know who can walk onto campus with a gun? Is it worth it to hold on to a right that caused 31% of the world's mass shootings in 2012 in a country with only 5% of the population?

I do not think so. If you do, I would love to have a conversation about it. I would love to hear you justify the right to own a gun over the right to walk down the street, go to school, or go to a movie, without fear of being shot.

351 incidents of mass gun violence this year. That number is guaranteed to go up. When is this going to stop? I am no longer willing to forfeit my safety, my family's safety, my peace of mind, and my faith in humanity so that you can hold tightly to your gun and your gun rights.

It's time for change.

We must stop avoiding the real problem.