Just a little over two weeks ago, the worst mass shooting in our country's history took place at a gay night club in Orlando, Fl. In the two week period since then, there have been 20 more mass shootings in our nation. 20. According to massshootingtracker.org, there have been 20 mass shootings since the tragedy in Orlando, leaving 16 people dead and 72 injured in total. And to be honest, I'm not even surprised. I'm not surprised that there are people out there with sick enough minds to go out and hurt people exactly the way Omar Mateen did. I'm not surprised that some people on social media praised him for what he did to the LGBT community, and I'm certainly not surprised that those people vowed to finish the job for him.

Quite frankly, if this country doesn't start to change the path it's going down, we are giving those exact people the go ahead to do so. A tragedy strikes and our country already has the robotic response made up. Every person flocks to social media to express their sincere condolences and prayers to the victim's families, those injured and they donate money to those affected. We are all sorry for about a week and then, just like that, it's forgotten. The victims are just a figment in our minds we try to forget about so we don't have to accept the fact that our country has turned into an unsafe, unpredictable and negative place.

What kind of justice does that give the victims or their families? Absolutely nothing when the violence continues. In my opinion, if this country, including the NRA and its supporters, can feel justified learning how innocent elementary school children got their heads blown off and still do absolutely nothing to change the course at which this violence is happening, we as a country are screwed.

I remember hearing about the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting on the radio while on my way home from going Christmas shopping with my grandmother, as we do every year. It didn't even register in my mind that it could be true. I passed my old Elementary school on the way to my house and couldn't understand how something of that nature could've even taken place. It wasn't until I got home and saw the coverage on TV, filled with scenes of SWAT teams and children being escorted out by single file lines, that it started to somewhat sink it. It didn't truly hit me until I saw the children's faces come on TV that night. I sat there crying, thinking about how those children's last moments were filled with such terror and fear. How could we as a country let something like this happen? We did and we still are.

Gun control continues to be a hot topic in our country. Pro-gun or pro-gun control, this has turned into a human issue. This has turned into life or death. This isn't just a "well I have a gun by my bedside so I can feel safe at night" issue. This has turned into a not feeling safe going into malls, movie theaters, night clubs, restaurants, amusement parks and schools, issue. This has become our country no longer feeling any effect from mass amounts of people being senselessly murdered because we know it's just going to happen again.

This is American citizens now scoping out exits when they first arrive at a location, just in case a crazed person decides to come there and shoot it up. When did that ever become okay? What kind of "American Dream" is this? It seems more like a nightmare if you ask me. I came across this image that one of my pro-gun friends posted on Facebook.

I literally could not shake my head more at this ignorant comment. The main pro-gun argument is that "Guns don't kill people, people kill people, they'll find a way to do it one way or another." Let's back this up a little and break it down. You're damn right people kill people, but would Omar Mateen have been able to kill 49 people, injuring 53 others with his fists or with a knife? Absolutely not. In every mass shooting, the shooter is looking for a way to kill as many people as possible at one time. Guns make this extremely easy, wouldn't you say?

An AR-15 can shoot 25 rounds in 2.5 seconds. Let that sink in.You can't kill more than one person any other way in that short of time with any other weapon. So yeah, people will kill, but the control of guns, in particular, will make these mass tragedies go down significantly. In New York State, you have to be 18 to purchase pepper spray. On top of that, you cannot have committed a felony or assault to even be able to purchase the spray. Pepper spray. Yet guns are obtainable in 5 minutes in some states. Another argument is, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." If someone is breaking into your house, alright, I guess, but no mass shooting within the past 30 years have been stopped by an armed civilian.

Mental health is a huge component in each one of these cases. We pro-control supporters are not asking for your beloved guns to be taken away. Don't worry, you can still wake up at the a** crack of dawn to go hunt your precious deer. We are asking for guns to be controlled and there to be screening in place for those looking to obtain guns. Omar Mateen was being looked at by the FBI and was still able to purchase a Sig Sauer MCX, another type of assault rifle, within minutes. How is that okay?

One of the largest arguments in this ongoing battle revolves all around the Second Amendment. A recent article published on Rolling Stone perfectly touched upon this issue: "Here's a good time to remind everyone that the Second Amendment was written by slaveholders before we had electricity, much less the kind of weaponry that would-be murderers can buy today. But sure, if you think it's that precious, we can compromise: If you love the Second Amendment that much, feel free to live in a powdered wig and sh** in a chamber pot while trying to survive off what you can kill with an 18th century musket. In exchange, let those of us living in this century pass some laws so we can feel safe going to class, or the movies or anywhere without worrying that some maladjusted man will try to get his revenge by raining death on random strangers."

As a 22-year-old woman, I fear for my future. I fear going out with my friends, I fear taking a trip into New York City, I fear being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I fear for my future children. What are their lives going to be like? Will they grow up in a world that instills more fear than safety? Will they grow up thinking the "norm" is having someone just come shoot up a place for no reason? As a young adult, maybe my life isn't seasoned enough. Maybe I haven't lived enough, and it's different for me since I have grown up in a much different world than my parents and grandparents did. I just cannot wrap my mind around how other human beings truly feel that gun control isn't needed.

How many more children need to be murdered in a classroom before you finally wake up and realize that no civilian in this world needs to own an assault rifle, aka a WEAPON OF WAR, in their daily life or home? How many more people need to die in a movie theater before you finally wake up and realize that there needs to be more control over how anyone obtains a weapon of mass destruction like an AR-15, that can be bought in mere minutes. How many more innocent people need to die in malls, amusement parks or nightclubs before you realize that a human life is far much more precious than your right to hold a weapon in your hand.

I mean, you've all said it yourself, "guns don't kill people, people kill people" If you so badly need a weapon in your possession for "safety," you should be able to find another way to kill someone, correct? I mean, "if guns don't kill people," why do you need one for protection? Because it is the quickest way of ending a life? Right. This is a never ending battle and will continue to be for years to come.

So many aspects and points go into this argument, but in my opinion, it can be stripped down quite simply: What is more important, your right to hold a weapon or a living breathing human life? The life of a child, a brother, a friend, a cousin, a mother, a sister, an aunt, an uncle, a father, a leader, an LGBT individual? Is the cold metal weapon you keep in your bedside drawer or garage worth more than the lives of thousands of people? I fear for the world I live in. We need change.