Summer is fading out as schools go back into session. Backpacks are being thrown over shoulders, fresh notebooks are being bought, and school syllabi are begging to be distributed. These first days back to school can bring butterflies, but expectations for the start of a school year bring something more insidious.
Summer is fading out as schools go back into session. Backpacks are being thrown over shoulders, fresh notebooks are being bought, and school syllabi are begging to be distributed. These first days back to school can bring butterflies, but expectations for the start of a school year bring something more insidious.
School shootings have become so frequent it is not of question of “if” anymore, it is when and where the next campus shooting will occur. People frequently say, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” No. People kill people, with guns. Removing “guns” from that statement—does not make guns not a factor in the problem. They most definitely are. Politicians and National Rifle Association officials defend gun rights with a fire and urgency that should be applied to fixing the problem rather than giving it a pardon. One death is one too many and the tolls are racking up.
Shootings go beyond the confines of school campuses. Homicide plagues this country.
It is difficult to repair this because one extremist side yells we need to ban guns and the other refutes they are a constitutional right that should not be regulated.
They are both wrong.
While the right to bear arms is protected under the constitution, and rightfully so, it does not give it the right to go unregulated when a large amount of people are being killed. Property rights has less merit when it infringes on a persons individual rights. People have the right to bear arms, yes. But they also have the right to life. This is being denied to so many of those whose lives are taken with each shooting.
Banning guns would be outlandish and impossible. We tried to outlaw alcohol during the prohibition era and here we are today. Alcohol is legal, but there are restrictions in place. By tightening up on gun laws, we can work to create a safer country. Banning guns would not ensure potential criminals would not have access to them, and those who abide the law would not have access to them. Instead of trying to eliminate them completely, we need to get them out of irresponsible hands with trigger-happy fingers.
All people need to be educated on gun safety if they are going to be operating a firearm. Making sure people know the consequences of their actions will make a positive change. America has postponed this issue for too long. If a disease broke out and was killing people by the dozens, the government would act quickly to prevent future deaths. Instead, they are ignoring this national issue. Instead of protecting people, they are protecting guns.
Those in support of unregulated gun activity have crawled so far back into a cave of denial that this is a real issue. Like with recovery from addiction, admitting that there is problem is the first step. It is past time for America’s legislatures to take that stride.
