Columbine High School (April 20,1999, 13 killed and 2 injured). Virginia Tech (April 16, 2007, 32 killed and 2 injured). Sandy Hook (December 14, 2012, 27 killed and 2 injured). Pulse Nightclub (June 12, 2016, 49 killed and 5 injured became the most deadly shooting in history). Las Vegas (October 1, 2017, 58 killed and 54 injured,now themost deadly mass shooting in American history). Stoneman Douglas High School (February 14, 2018, 17 killed and at least 15 injured).

What all these tragedies have in common is that they are murders of innocent American citizens.

High school students. Elementary school students. College students. Concert-goers. Club-goers. People like you and me who have families, significant others, pets, hopes, wishes, goals, bucket lists, and dreams. They woke up that one fateful day not knowing it'd be their last. They walked out the door- maybe not even saying goodbye to their moms or dads because they thought that they'd see them when they got home. But little did they know that their life would end in the most violent and horrific way.

31% of the world's mass shooters. In just the few months since 2018 began, America has seen about 30 mass shootings. Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been at least 1,598 mass shootings (if not more). In 2017 alone, there was a total of 61,466 shootings- much more than in 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2015, 22,018 peoplecommitted suicide via firearm, and according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 51% of suicides involve a gun.

So, in case you could not tell from the statistics, America does have a gun problem.

We do not need to take away every single person's gun, we just need to enforce very strict gun laws. I understand that not everyone who has a gun is a bad person, I get that there are many good people out there who own a gun. But sadly, these shooters have ruined it for the good people. While there are people who use guns responsibly, people that misuse the weapon get everyone in trouble. Yeah, it's not fair, but that's just how things work. You do something wrong, you get punished. You misuse something, you make it harder for yourself to earn it back.

If the United States should allow their citizens to own guns, then there needs to be stricter regulations with who can own a gun, what types of guns can be owned, the types of background checks issued, and the process in which said citizen could get a gun. No citizen should be able to own military style weapons. There is no reason to own one.

We don't need guns in school either. As a future teacher, I would feel very uncomfortable knowing there is a gun in my desk. I'd be overly anxious about a young student finding the gun and playing around with it. Instead of having teachers own guns in their classroom, we should enforce better security around our schools. This means having better security in and around the schools, such as having police officers around schools during morning and afternoon pickups, and having an in-school police officer for all elementary, middle, and high schools. We should also have our security guards better trained and mandate more regulations for schools on their visitor policies.

In Japan, guns are legal. However, the process to obtain a gun is regulated and very tedious. First of all, Japan only has a certain number of gun shops- out of the 40 districts, there can be no more than 3 shops. If a person wanted to buy a gun, they have to attend a class occurring once a month held by a police officer that explains responsibilities of owning a gun and outlines how to get the gun. Then, the person has to take an exam and once they pass, the person has to visit a mental-health professional to be deemed competent to own a gun. Once that is done, a Japanese citizen gathers a photo I.D., past addresses and jobs, and proof they were a citizen and has an interview with a police officer in which they explain why they want to own a gun. Similarly to our background checks in the U.S., the application is reviewed by the police station. The citizen must attend a gun training session at a shooting range and also sit in a classroom where they are taught about gun safety (and also have to complete an exam about gun safety). Police will also show up unannounced at the person's work and home and interview others to make sure that the person who wants to purchase a gun is not in anyway a threat. Four months later, they'll acquire their official gun license and own a gun. But, they must notify the police as to where the gun is located in their home and must be securely locked up with the ammunition locked up separately. Police will come and visit the home to ensure the gun is stored safely. After three years, the license will expire and the gun owner must attend another gun safety class. With all these regulations, Japan has not seen a mass shooting in years.

Yes, criminals can obtain guns illegally. There are ways of buying guns online or buying one through a private purchase (take Columbine for example, the guns used were bought through a friend). Of course, regulations do not ensure that criminals will not have guns- there is always the chance that they will find a way around it. But with regulations like Japan has, there would be more reassurance that every person who does have a gun is a stable and competent human being. It would also be much harder for a potential shooter to even buy a gun

No child should have to go to school fearing for their life. No parent should fear burying their child. No one should ever fear for their safety in a school, in a place of worship, at a concert, at a shopping mall, or on the street. Regardless of what political party you side with, we all need to come together and put a stop to innocent American citizens being brutally murdered.