Gun control: this is a topic that has been discussed backwards and forwards. Should guns be allowed or limited? Should it be illegal to carry one? On the Internet, this is as popular among Facebook friends as among politician seeking to gain popularity with the people. Many Americans consider themselves pro- or anti-gun control. Some people are afraid that the government will take their guns, and they protest for their rights under the second amendment of the Constitution. Others protest against gun violence. I see that in the United States, the country is divided when this topic is on the table, and I have a problem with it.

To the National Rifle Association (NRA), or the gun fanatics in this country, I have only one question: why do we need guns everywhere?

We are afraid of everything, and we act paranoid about everything. We are afraid to go to work, to go to school, to go to a theater or any public place. It is one thing is to talk about protection if you are in your home, but to take your gun with you and frighten passerby is another. Carrying a gun in public, you become "that guy with a gun". In light of mass shootings, people are likely to become paranoid of weapons carried into public spaces, and rightly so. According to the data on gun violence from the Brady Campaign, over 17,000 American children and teens, ages 0-19, are shot in murders, assaults, suicides and suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, or by police intervention annually.

According to Missouri gun control law, “gun control laws are fairly limited, compared to other states, lacking waiting periods or the requirement of background checks when guns are purchased from unlicensed dealers. Missouri prohibits the sale or possession of certain firearms that also are banned under federal law, including explosive weapons.” Compared with other states, that seem fair, right? Certain states, however, take gun carry to an extreme. In three states — Colorado, Idaho and Utah — students are allowed, along with anyone who wandered onto the campus, to carry firearms on university grounds. This is what is happening right now.

I understand the need to protect against criminals or invaders who enter your house or private property, but these laws allow guns dangerously close to our classrooms and community centers. Gun control laws require enforcement and adequate budgets for background checks and psychological screening. There is a greater need for laws which protect the citizen and make common sense.

In many states, you need extensive training and evaluation before you get a license to drive a car, and even then, you cannot park your car just anywhere. You must follow traffic laws which keep fellow drivers safe. Why should guns be any different?