My name is Nora Sullivan, and I believe in stricter gun control laws.

Since the Sandy Hook shooting, when a gunman went into an elementary school and shot 20 children and six adults, there has been 186 school shootings. In 2015 alone, there were 372 mass shootings, killing 475 people and wounding 1,870. We are 169 (as of Friday, June 17, 2016) days into 2016, and there have already been 173 mass shootings. These do not even take into account the thousands of other gun-related deaths.

The United States is among the highest in gun-related deaths. Other countries realize the cause and effect of guns and gun-related mass shootings, such as Australia. In 1996, Australia suffered a mass shooting that killed 35 people and wounded 23. After this shooting, the Australian government enacted strict gun control laws, which included the banning of private gun sales, requiring all guns be individually registered by their owners and requiring buyers to present genuine reason for needing each weapon at the time of purchase (self-defense does not count as a reason). The percentage of violence due to guns has significantly dropped in Australia since these law were in effect. In the United States, after a mass shooting such as Sandy Hook, any attempt to get stricter gun control law passed has been met with large protest from the some of the American people and has been shot down by Congress.

On January 5, 2016, President Obama took executive action to fight gun violence. This action included making it more difficult to obtain a gun. For example, it is currently possible for someone to buy a gun at Walmart, meaning that they are able to buy a gun while at the same time purchasing a children’s toy. The action will focus on more in-depth background checks for people who wish to buy a gun. Background checks now are done in minutes with a people having a 1 percent chance of getting denied. They consist of checking if someone has a record (convicted felon), if they are addicted to a substances, if they suffer from a medical disorder, and some states also look into a person’s social media accounts. Background checks only apply to licensed dealers, meaning someone who isn’t a licensed dealer could sell a gun directly to someone without a background check. These background checks deny a limited the number of people getting guns. A perfect explain of this is the shooting in South Carolina, where a white male shot and killed nine African Americans. That gunman passed a background check, even though he was arrested earlier that year for trespassing and drug possession. It was also found that he had posted many racist comments and threats on his social media.

The president has also called for more and longer training once a gun has been bought, by doing this he hopes to develop safe methods from the start, where using a gun is a person’s last choice. Other laws the president hopes to bring forth are: limiting magazines to only 10 rounds, the magazines are where the ammo is stored, and banning the possession of armor-piercing bullets by anyone other then members of the military and law enforcement. The president also wants to introduce new technology that will make it so that only registered gun owners are able to fire the gun they purchase. This technology is similar to needing a fingerprint to unlock your iPhone or how children are unable to open medicine bottles. The hope with this law is that if a person’s gun is stolen (which is the case in several of the mass shootings), the person that stole it is unable to shoot it. Finally, President Obama says there needs to be a better understanding and better help for those who suffer from mental issues. He has stated that anyone who wishes to own a gun must go through extensive mental health test and checkups done by a doctor.

I personally believe in the ban of fully-automatic and semi-automatic weapons. I do not see the need for anyone to own a weapon that fires up to 60 rounds per minute (semi-automatic) and up to 1,000 rounds per minute (fully-automatic). The sole purpose of that type of weapon is to harm. There is absolutely no need for anyone other then the military to own them. President Obama said he would support a ban of these weapons. Most mass shootings are done with semi-automatic weapons.

I believe in stricter gun control laws because parents should not have to explain to their 6-year-old daughter why she is never going to see her friend again; because a 9-year-old boy should be able to sleep fully through the night without having nightmares of someone trying to shoot down his door; because an 8-year-old boy shouldn’t be scared to go to school. I believe in gun control laws because concerts should be a place of joy and happiness; because movies and supermarkets shouldn’t be feared. I believe in stricter gun control laws because no one should fear going anywhere or being anything less then themselves. I believe in stricter gun control laws because I want a future where I don’t need to explain mass shootings to my children, where they don’t have to wonder how a person could murder 50 people.

It was once said, “We know we can’t stop every act of violence, every act of evil in the world. But maybe, just maybe we can try to stop one act of evil, one act of violence in order to make our world a safe place for future generations.”

My name is Nora Sullivan, and I believe in stricter gun control laws.