I'm about to head to college, and with college comes the sad goodbyes. Almost everyone will go through this as they move on to different parts of their lives, and the goodbyes will never get easier. I work as a waitress, and Tuesday was my last night at work for a while. I hugged the coworkers who I had become close to, and one of them said, "I'm hugging you extra tight because I might never get the chance again." That hit me hard. No one should ever have to say this to a loved one, and the fact she did made our current situation in America more real to me. Now, for anyone unaware of what's happened in the past few days, there were 3 shootings (in separate states) all in a matter of days. The shooting in El Paso, TX killed 22 people and injured 26 others. The shooting in Dayton, Ohio killed 10 people and wounded 26 others. Then over the weekend a shooting in Chicago killed 7 more, and injured at least 30 others. I understand some people feel that the second amendment is their right, and that they would use that right to protect themselves and others, but over 40 people died in the last 3 days from the same amendment- one of them was even purchased legally. In the words of Rhianna, "Imagine a world where it's easier to get an AK-47 than a VISA!".

Already, shootings have become a more frequent event. With 250 mass shootings in the US, America has had more mass shootings than any other country in the world, and it's not something to be proud of. More and more innocent people are becoming victims of terrorist acts and acts of hate. Firearm deaths are the second highest cause of death in children under the age of 19. I never know if when I walk into school if it will be the last time I see my mom, or my sister, or my friends. Not only do the shootings scare me, but what scares me more is that there isn't enough being done to stop it. After all of these events, guns are still legal in ALL states and almost anyone can buy one. We need a stricter gun law that can help make our world a safer place so that I'm not scared about going to class, and my friends and family aren't telling me they might never get the chance to hug me again. My advice until such a law is passed is to hug your friends close and your family even closer, because in the world right now, you truly never know what could happen.