If you have once lived alone in a foreign country, or just away from your parents for an extended period of time, you probably know how important it is to communicate with your family. As an international student from China, the amount of time that I can physically be with my family is incredibly limited. Phone calls sometimes need to be arranged ahead of time due to the 16 hour time difference. Therefore, communication takes various forms. In exchange for our regular dinner table conversations, my parents would send me links to articles they have read, a practice that is common for Chinese families.

The topics of these articles, however, range from global economics to celebrity scandals. They may be arbitrary news like the discovery of a raccoon in a Shanghai neighborhood, to random but good-to-know life hacks like how to put out a kitchen fire. Among these articles, however, you will see a recurring theme – mass shootings. 

For my parents who have never learned U.S. geography at school, any case of gun violence in the country could mean possible danger for me as well. I used to explain to them that Pennsylvania is, in fact, across the country from California, which is where I live. But to them, the fear remains regardless. As a 14-year-old, I was unstirred by their distress, thinking that the issue of gun violence must not be as bad as the news portrays it to be.

My line of reasoning was simple: America is the “greatest” country in the world. Or at least, my conception of the country was generally positive. Even though the superlative made the statement slightly questionable in my opinion, I believe the country must be good enough for them to proclaim that. 

But it was not all that great.

While the United States opened my vision to new perspectives and offered me an increased sense of democracy, it was never able to make me feel truly safe. Despite the comments made about my home country, I have never had to worry about my safety walking on the streets in China. Sure, the country is certainly not crimeless. But I have never feared that a racist teenager would rush into a supermarket, killing every living thing in sight, or that an intruder would come in and murder all the students present during class.

Every time I read the news and see another mass shooting, I cannot help but grieve for the innocent lives lost. I believe most people feel the same. But I’m also immensely aware of the strings attached to modifying gun laws in this country. The problem is politically divisive, as with most other public issues in America. Politicians are balancing on a tightrope, where leaning even just a bit over on either side could lead to an epic downfall of their campaign. 

The right for civilians to bear arms is included in the Second Amendment, but I would always remember that the Declaration of Independence states the unalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Above all, how can a country be great, never mind greatest, if it fails to even protect the lives of its citizens? What role does politics really play when we are putting people’s lives on the line? 

Before the dissension begins, let us all reconsider the real significance of gun control. It's to send your kids to school with a relieved heart, to not have to read another news article about brutal slaughters, and to truly lament those who have died from gun violence.