This week is a difficult week for my family. Monday, May 23 is my grandmother and late grandfather’s wedding anniversary and Tuesday is the 30th anniversary of my aunt’s death. Both of these family members died at the hands of gun violence. This article isn’t really meant to persuade anyone from changing their current stance on gun control, but rather to just illuminate my side of the debate. I always believe that you should examine both sides of an argument before fully embracing one or the other. There are plenty of facts to support either side of the discussion, but this is meant to be more of a personal account on my opinion.
Not many people who know me know that I am named for my aunt, Pamela Hawkins. She and a friend were shot by her ex-husband in my grandmother’s house in West Virginia. I’ve known the origin behind my namesake for as long as I can remember and grew up listening to Pam’s story, so guns have always had a negative connotation in my mind. I was discussing this fact once with a friend and he asked me, "Don’t you think she would’ve had a better chance at survival if she had a gun herself?” But the answer is that she did have a gun, but it wasn’t in the same room of the house as her and she didn’t have enough time to get to it.
My family has never had a firearm in our house and I’ve never shot a real gun before. If I had a time machine and the power to do so, I would make it so that guns were never invented. I personally don’t understand the appeal and see them only as tools for destruction. Other things used as weapons have alternative uses, but the sole purpose of a gun is to destroy something. However, I understand the role the guns have in American culture and understand that we will never fully get rid of them. What I don’t understand is how it can still be legal to sell gun through private sales without background checks, which can put firearms in the hands of felons and people who are mentally ill. I also don’t understand why trigger locks, which makes it more difficult for guns to accidentally discharge, are only required by law in 9 states. Too many children are unintentionally killed because of guns not being kept in a safe enough location in their house.
Once a trigger is pulled, there is no taking it back. In an instant, a life can be over on the other end of the gun. Fighting fire with fire will only leave us in more pain. The issue of gun control is one with very strong opposing sides, without many options for a clear compromise.You can never fully understand the heartbreak of losing someone to gun violence until you’ve experienced it. My mom was telling me the other day that she wished she had some way of saying goodbye to my aunt, but she was dead before she could get the chance to do that. No matter which side of the debate you are on I think we can all agree that no one should have to deal with the loss of a loved one because of a gun. I hope for a day where I can turn on the news without hearing about another shooting. The world has become a cruel and scary place, but I hope that our country can take steps towards making civilians safer from gun violence. I hope that when my children are growing up I can feel safe sending them to school or into a movie theater. I hope our world can become more compassionate.
