"I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." - Clint Eastwood

In the last several years, the number of mass shootings has risen at an alarming rate. You probably have heard about the tragedy at Pulse in Orlando, Florida. Many mass shootings have spawned several debates about gun control, stricter laws and even banning guns altogether. Common people, politicians and celebrities are calling for a change, but what a lot of these individuals do not realize is that these changes will not make a difference.

Let us take a stroll back in history to the 1920s when the United States placed a ban on the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol. If you have taken a basic American history class, you should know how this story goes: country bans alcohol, citizens find a way to produce, sell and drink it, and eventually the country lifts the ban and all is right with the world again. The ban lasted only 13 years and it was obviously a huge failure. Just like the "war on drugs", which bans certain controlled substances, and yet we see people overdosing and walking the streets strung out on those very substances every single day. Guns are no different; if there was a ban on guns across the United States, people would still find a way to sell, produce and transport guns.

We can also discuss "Gun Free Zones," like Chicago and numerous other cities, federal buildings, college campuses and schools. In gun-free cities, the guns are not banned; however, they have some of the most strict gun laws in the nation. Even though Chicago is considered a gun-free zone, it is among the highest gun murder rate in the country. And when we hear about mass shootings, where do they mostly happen in the United States? Schools and colleges. Guns are most definitely not allowed in either place. This only further proves that gun laws don't matter when a person wants to kill.

Is there a solution to end this violence? I believe that there is one. We cannot remove guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens. We cannot infringe upon the rights given to us in the Second Amendment. Law-abiding citizens who have a concealed carry license have the potential to save the lives of many in a mass shooting situation or save their own life in a self-defense situation. Guns are used exponentially more often to stop crime than to kill; each year firearms prevent an estimated 2.5 million crimes in the U.S., usually without a shot being fired. And, according to Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, "as many as 200,000 women use a gun every year to defend themselves against sexual abuse".

Just one person, just one gun, just one bullet can take down any attacker before they have the chance to truly carry out their plan.