First and foremost, it is important to remember the lives lost and injured at the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Innocent lives were forever changed during this tragic event that should not have occurred. In the wake of this tragedy, the gun control debate has been reignited. Americans everywhere want to ensure this event will never happen again, but everyone has a different approach.

Liberal Americans are calling for stronger gun control and to undermine the 2^ndAmendment with new laws. Meanwhile, Conservative Americans believe “the right to bear arms” is more essential than ever before. So, which approach is best? On the topic of gun control, there needs to be reform. The man (I refuse to use his name) who perpetrated this attack was investigated by the FBI twice and was still able to attain guns. There needs to be a stronger background check and application process; however, undermining the 2^ndAmendment is not necessarily the right approach. Those in favor of the 2^ndAmendment tend to argue ‘drugs are illegal and people still find ways to get them, so why wouldn’t people still be able to get guns?’ As history shows, Prohibition did not exactly work. People still found ways to get alcohol, why wouldn’t people be able to obtain guns? If someone has made up their mind to commit murder (which is against the law), a law against guns is not going to stop the person from committing the crime. The only option left is to protect the public. Concealed carry, when people are properly trained, is a viable option to deal with criminals and terrorists like the man who committed the Pulse attack. What would have happened if there had been armed and trained security guards in the club that night? It is possible there would have been fewer causalities. Instead of waiting for police response, someone in the club could have stopped him sooner. We will never know one way or the other for sure, but why not take every precaution necessary to make this world a little safer?

Ultimately, this is a controversial topic that has no one correct answer. Both sides have valid points, but tend to clash in the process. On “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”’s June 13 episode, Jimmy Fallon opened his show discussing the tragedy in Orlando. At one point in the broadcast Fallon said, “This country was built on the idea that we do not all agree on everything. That we are a tolerant, free nation that encourages debate, free thinking, believing – or not – in what you choose." These are valuable words to keep in mind during this time. As a country, we are all mourning those who were lost and are looking for preventative measures to ensure this will never happen again. At times we may disagree on different approaches, but we all have the same goal.