Gun control is never something I have taken a strong opinion towards. I don't own a gun, I've never had any interest in owning one, so I never understood the big deal about letting people have them, I mean it's their second amendment right, right? It's a very touchy subject and it ruffles a lot of feathers. And after the events of the past 36 hours, I've finally realized that it's good that it ruffles a lot of feathers. This is an important issue, one of the most important ones of our generation, and it needs to be addressed.
Almost every single day, I see a notification pop up on my phone regarding lives being lost to gun violence. These occur for various reasons from gangs to random acts of violence, to even terrorism. According to the Gun Violence Archive there have been 23,152 incidents of gun violence that have occurred in the United States so far in 2016, and I'm sure that number will rise in between the time I write this and the time you read this article. 254 children (ages 0-11) have been injured or killed this year from gun violence. 1,263 teenagers between the ages of 12-17 also have been killed or injured. Just a few nights ago, we lost "The Voice" and YouTube star, Christina Grimmie to a senseless act of violence. She was shot and killed signing autographs for her fans, doing what she loved. In the early morning hours of June 12, we lost 49 people in a mass shooting, including 53 injured, at a nightclub in the same city, Orlando.
These incidents happen more in the United States than any other country. They happen in other places, but not at this large of a scale and not this often. One of the main arguments I have always heard is "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Newsflash: guns do kill people. It's the person behind it that is pulling the trigger but making it more difficult for someone with bad motives to get their hands on that trigger may be worth a shot if there is a possibility of saving lives. According to vox.com, the United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, only followed by Yemen which has 54.8 guns per 100 people. Yemen, a country that is currently ravaged in the middle of a civil war, is a runner up to the United States... Another quote from vox.com that stood out, "Americans make up about 4.43 percent of the world's population, yet own roughly 42 percent of all the world's privately owned firearms."
Another argument that is made is, "Well if more people carry and have easier access to guns it will be easier for people to defend themselves and stop gun violence from happening." This was an argument especially used following the San Bernardino shooting in California because California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and if they weren't so strict, the victims in San Bernardino would have been able to defend themselves. However, Florida has some of most relaxed gun laws in the United States, but it didn't matter. Christina Grimmie was completely caught by surprised and didn't have the chance to defend herself. Fifty people still lost their lives in that club, despite it being so easy for them to gain access to a gun to protect themselves. In the end, it was those relaxed laws that contributed to their deaths.
Why is it that in the United States it is far easier to get a gun than for a woman to get the healthcare she needs? Why are their fewer questions being asked when purchasing a gun than when a rape victim reports their own assault? A sexual assault victim is bombarded with questions like, "What were you wearing?" "Did you lead him on?" "Are sexually active with more than one partner?" "Are you sure you didn't want it?". However when someone buys a gun they aren't asked, "Do you have a history of mental illness?" "How many guns do you own?" "Why are you purchasing this gun?" "Do you have a criminal record?" But you know, it's okay to ask a rape victim those hard hitting questions because it is to protect the person being accused. But we aren't asking those personal questions to gun owners in order to "protect their privacy" and to defend their second amendment right. What about a rape victim's right to see justice against her attacker? We watched children at Sandy Hook get murdered, and we did nothing. We are supposed to "never forget" them, yet, we don't do anything to prevent it from happening again. How much longer are we going to wait for change?
We can no longer sit back and allow this to happen. We can't watch more and more children, teenagers, fathers, mothers, sister and brothers' lives to be ruined by death and tragedy. We cannot allow the 5,929 gun violence victims in 2016's deaths to go in vain. That is not just a number to look at. Those are people. Christina Grimmie had one of the most beautiful voices on this earth, she had dreams and she had aspirations just like the other 5,928 people who were killed. They all wanted to be somebody. They worked hard just like you and me. They were mother and fathers. They were people's daughters and sons. All of their lives ended tragically and sudden. It wasn't fair how they died. It is time to take action before we lose any more innocent lives. And if we just turn on the news and watch it happen, we also are the ones who are pulling the trigger.
