The pain the country has felt in the past week is absolutely heartbreaking. From Gilroy to Canton to El Paso, these shootings never seem to stop. Unfortunately, these headlines are too common. The public lives in fear that their hometown might be next. Nowhere seems safe anymore since it could happen anywhere. Politicians, especially the 2020 presidential candidates, were quick to respond about the recent events. Most of them called for better gun regulations and blamed Trump's rhetoric on the racial motives of the shooters. Beto O'Rourke, a former El Paso representative and presidential candidate, was personally affected by the recent events and had strong words towards the president. He claims that Trump's words welcome racial divides. Trump's response? Well, he blames video games.

Trump calls for the public to stop glorifying violence, especially in video games. Many of the republicans jumped on blaming video games such as Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Patrick claims that guns have always been there and that the cause of these shootings is violent video games. Research shows that there's actually a reduction in violence with video games and not an increase in one. Countries all over the world have access to the same video games the United States have, but don't have frequent shootings. This poor excuse to why shootings are happening is extremely distasteful and seems like an attempt to divert the public to the actual reason why these shootings are so frequent. These shootings are caused by how easily accessible guns are to the public. Sure guns are usually used for self-protection, but you don't need an assault rifle to do that. Each state having different laws for guns makes it easier for someone to illegally purchase a firearm. Taking away people's guns isn't the answer, but regulating the purchase of them is. We shouldn't have to live in fear. We shouldn't have to look over our shoulders going to food festivals or school or even grocery shopping.