I am tired of hearing about gun-related deaths in the news. I do not want to see another innocent face in the headlines whose life was taken too soon. I am sick and tired of being scared when someone comes in late to a movie theater, and I don’t want to go to the place that my mind takes me when a kid in class has his hands too deep in his pockets. I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I am tired of the insensitivity I see when tragic shootings occur and how, for some, the first thing someone has to say about it is "Guns are not the problem." Well, sure, of course, humans are the ones shooting them, and ultimately they have the power and it is their fault for the actions they choose to make, but that is not what people are saying.

The point is, we as a society have proven time and time again not only that getting possession of a gun is easy but also that we do not have any responsibility when it comes to the possession of guns. I would venture to assume that most of the people concerned with gun laws are not claiming that target shooting, hunting, or other various gun-related activities are not fun. The thing is, we need to be proactive. Shootings are never going to stop, but we can certainly try to work on how often they happen.

Grace Hopper once said, "Humans are allergic to change. They love to say 'we've always done it this way.' I try to fight that." When a shooting happens, it is insensitive and ignorant to say that we should not look at our policies on gun usage and ownership in the United States. Certainly I do not want to see people losing the right to own their guns because guns bring people a sense of safety and are also used recreationally. But as a country, we really, truly need to do something. I do not have all the answers, but collectively there must be something we can achieve together.

All I ask for now is that when a shooting happens, your first reaction is not to cling to your guns and ramble online about how guns are not a problem. Like I have said before, yes, people are in control of their actions, but clearly people have proven that they cannot handle the responsibility or the privilege we have in the United States to bear arms. This goes for any right of ours that gets changed or sometimes even taken away. For example, marijuana is not any more harmful to the body than alcohol is, yet in few places is it legal to consume it. The problem is not marijuana, but people abusing it. The same goes for the use of guns.

It is not only the shooters who are proving that they should not possess a gun but it is also the gun owners who lend their guns out to people who do not have a license or the people who do not stow their property away properly. Do not share your gun, and make sure you have it properly put away for your own personal use as it is intended.

I am tired of being afraid at the movies. I am tired of kids having to stress at school or on a college campus. I do not want to see any more innocent lives taken at the hands of someone who should have never had a gun in their possession in the first place.