When I woke up and read the news this morning, I almost immediately burst into tears. I was horrified. In the past two days, 49 people have been shot dead in one city alone in the United States. The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history took place this weekend, and if that does not concern you, then I do not know what will.

I am scared. I am beyond scared. I am terrified. I am terrified for my family, terrified of my people, and terrified for myself. Guns are everywhere, and with the U.S.'s current culture, no one is safe. Domestic terrorism and gun violence are two of the biggest problems in the United States right now, and they are two problems we are not addressing. Everyone talks about how afraid they are of being bombed by ISIS or of contracting Ebola or some other disease half way across the world.

I am afraid of walking down the street. I am afraid of being shot by a fellow American. I am not afraid of foreign invaders. I am not afraid of faceless diseases. I am afraid of the possibility of being shot and killed by someone I know. I am afraid of being shot and killed by someone I do not know. I am afraid of being killed during a night on the town or at a concert or while attending church.

I am afraid of guns. I am afraid of people misusing guns.

I refuse to let this go unsaid any longer.

It does not matter that both Christina Grimmie's death and the death of 50+ queer individuals took place in Orlando, Florida. Guns are not only a problem in Orlando. They are a problem everywhere. Sure, we are allowed to own guns. It is a Constitutional Right. However, owning guns is the not the problem: using guns is the problem.

The problem is that our culture is more worried about our ability to own guns than it is about human life. Who cares if, on average, between 89 and 36 people die from gun violence a day? Who cares if between 10,000 and 30,000 people die a year from gun violence in the U.S. alone? Who cares if 756 children are killed by guns in a year? Who cares if half of the people killed by guns are black men? Who cares if guns are used seven times more frequently for aggravated homicide than they are for self-defense?

As long as you can own a gun, it does not matter if people are dying by the thousands.

We have become so desensitized to gun violence. We see it in the news almost every single day:

14 dead, 21 wounded | San Bernardino, Calif.

3 dead; 9 injured | Colorado Springs, Colo.

9 dead, 9 injured: Roseburg, Ore.

5 dead, 3 wounded: Chattanooga, Tenn.

9 dead: Charleston, S.C.

6 dead, 7 wounded: Isla Vista, Calif.

All of those are headlines related to gun violence from 2015 alone, and those afar from the only ones. Is anyone else horrified by this? Does anyone else care? I see so many "Pray for _________" posts, but why are we stopping there?

A person's right to life is far more important than your right to own a gun.

Although I have never liked guns, I do not propose we get rid of them completely. That would never work. I know it would not. Making a law against owning guns would not keep people from owning them and using them. Laws do not keep people from doing most things--smoking weed, driving over the speed limit, underage drinking. We cannot and should not outlaw guns.

But we do need to do something. Contrary to popular belief, owning your own firearm does not keep you safer from gun violence. In fact, owning a firearm makes you 4.2 times more likely to be killed during a gun attack than an unarmed individual. You are in far more danger if you own a gun than you are if you do not. Thus, arming every person is not a feasible or even intelligent solution.

So what do we do?

The answer to this question is highly contested. It is contested mostly because we do not truly know what would work. We must implement multiple policies and increase education on gun safety. We must create faster acting response teams. We must do something. We cannot continue standing by and allowing people to die because we refuse to talk about it. Here are some ideas of what we can do:

Policy changes: We must ban assault weapons. We must make sure all people buying and selling guns have had background checks and access to mental health programs. We must support gun violence prevention plans. We must create faster and more effective response teams.

Education changes: Not only must we start addressing gun safety issues in schools and colleges, but we must also implement gun safety programs for all people buying and selling guns. Gun owners should go through training and become certified in gun safety. We must train police officers and security guards more de-escalation techniques, and make sure they are safe when dealing with shooters. We must also train bystanders in the same techniques.

Cultural changes: We need to create a culture in which gun safety is a priority. We need to stop worrying about the right to own guns and start worrying about every human being's right to life. We must view gun violence as a health and public safety concern. We must stop being desensitized to the death of other human beings. Furthermore, we must create a culture in which all human lives are treasured, whether those people are children, people of color, women, or queer individuals. Too often, gun violence takes place because of prejudice.

Here is my promise to all victims of gun-related violence:

I promise not to stay quiet. I promise not only to send my heart, my love and positive vibes to you. I promise to fight in honor of the memory of the loved ones brutally ripped from your lives. I promise never to forget what guns can do. I promise I will never hold the right to bear arms over the right to life. I promise to stand up, speak out and fight against injustice. I promise to join my brothers and sisters in ending gun violence. I promise to educate my fellow people. I promise to support necessary policy, education and cultural changes. I promise to end the violence and live my life with love.