My dad owned a BB gun when he was just nine years old. It was a gift from a family member. His mom hated the fact that her son had possession of a gun, but she still let him keep it. I’ve never held or shot a real gun before, but I have shot apples out of a cannon. When I was nine, my family and I went to Gallrein Farms where multiple different activities were displayed, including shooting apples from cannon. My family figured we’d give it a try, so we stepped up onto the wooden platform where four or five cannons sat. Each cannon had a small bucket of bright red apples sitting next to it. My two younger brothers and I stepped up to two of the cannons and prepared to shoot. We were given instruction on how to shoot the cannons, along with safety precautions, and then we were set loose. There were targets set up that you could shoot the apples at and two of them were people. The cannons were really loud, super powerful, and extremely destructive. There were apple bits splattered all over the targets and there were tons of pieces surrounding them. This is the closest I have ever gotten to shooting a firearm and while I do think it would be fun to go to a gun range, I would be terrified for my safety and the safety of everyone around me.

It isn’t just me who is scared for peoples’ safety; other people, like my mom, are also worried about the safety and well-being of the people they care about. My mom has said multiple times that she wants schools to have tighter security. However, she does not want this to involve lethal weapons, like guns. She has said that she thinks school security guards and administrators should be allowed a non-lethal weapon such as a stun gun, taser, or a handgun with rubber bullets. These weapons would most likely cause enough harm to an intruder that the pain would momentarily halt their pursuit, while not causing any lethal damage. Having non-lethal weapons is also a better alternative because in the unlikely situation where students overpower the administrator or guard, they would be unable to kill or seriously injure themselves or another student. My mom hates the fact that we need this level of security in schools, and I wholeheartedly agree with her, but we both know that it is necessary to make our country safer.

Imagine waking up in America and, before even brushing your teeth, grabbing your AR15 because you’re terrified that someone might try to attack you. You never let your gun leave your sight and carry it around with you everywhere because you don’t feel safe without it. Everywhere you look there is another person holding one type of gun or another because everyone is afraid that they will be a shooter’s next victim. Oh and guess what, you are only nine years old. This is why we need tighter security. This is why we need stronger gun laws. This is why we need better restrictions. This is why we need to convince our leaders to create change and stop the surge of gun violence in America.

Gun violence is an issue that is making a major surge in the United States and it’s affecting everyone — especially youth. The number of school shootings has enormously increased in the past 3 years and it’s taken an immense toll on middle and high schoolers. Youth mental health has taken a huge blow because of gun violence and the number of students affected increases each day. Murder and suicide rates have also risen by a massive amount, especially among Black and Latinx Americans. People should care about this issue because youth are the future of our world and if they don’t have good mental health it will be devastating to future generations. You also can’t have a successful country without people and if murder and suicide rates keep increasing we might not make it as far as we hope. Black and Latinx Americans are even more affected by gun violence because of the racist attitudes of other individuals. In a study conducted by Everytown they found that gun homicides by race/ethnicity in Kentucky, per 100,000 people, are 27.3 in Black Americans, 4.5 in Latinx Americans, and 3.7 in white Americans. (Everytown 2) Even though we can’t make people change their attitudes we can help reduce gun violence, which will hopefully decrease the amount of shootings, deaths, and injuries in the United States. In an article from CNN’s Josh Campbell, Jack Hannah, and Elizabeth Joseph, they say “Kentucky has some of the least restrictive state gun laws in the nation. [...] gun violence prevention groups like Everytown have billed the state’s laws as ‘among the worst in the country.’” CNN contributor Jennifer Mascia, founding staffer at The Trace, said “Universal background checks are nonexistent, so you can buy a gun from a stranger and there’s no record of the sale, making it almost impossible for law enforcement to trace these weapons if they’re ever used in a crime” (Campbell, Hannah, and Joseph). Unrestricted gun laws and loose security measures when guns are being purchased are only two of the many issues furthering the surge of gun violence. There are many solutions to this issue, but none of them will have an impact if no one takes action. State governments should strengthen gun laws and restrictions, limit the guns allowed to the public, and have tightened security measures when guns are being bought because of increased murder and suicide rates and a decline in youth mental health.

America’s history with guns, and how we connect them to freedom, is the leading cause of America’s high gun violence rates. Guns provide a staggering sense of freedom for many Americans and have been deemed as equal to it. This is most likely because of America’s 2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment reads “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (Cornell Law) The article “Second Amendment” by Cornell Law explains the original intention of the 2nd Amendment was most likely to limit the federal government’s abilities to take away the state’s right to defend itself. However, many Americans twist the words of this amendment to say that the original intent was to give all Americans the right to own a gun whenever they please. In the article “The Origins Of America's Gun Obsession” researcher John Tirman says “[America’s gun culture] is not just a byproduct of the National Rifle Association or other gun enthusiasts. It’s a wellspring from the earliest times of colonial America, nourishing the country’s entire history.” (1) Our revolution from Great Britain is what really helped develop America’s gun culture because our guns were the key to our freedom and many people believe that without them we would be weak. In fact, about “75 percent of gun owners say gun ownership enhances their sense of freedom.” (Tirman 1) Not only has owning a firearm become intertwined with religion, but it’s also a huge political issue. Tirman even says, “Protection against savages and love of freedom were ennobled on the frontier by the blessings of Christ, and that sanctifying remains vivid in today’s gun culture.” (1) People have come to believe the idea that owning a gun means you are free. They have tied firearm ownership into their religions and some even make it a facet of their identity. Our country is in a constant state of tug of war due to political leaders being afraid of the possibility that they will lose their influence, leading us to a political stalemate. If political leaders were to actually use their influence to facilitate change then we would be able to better protect our country from the major impacts of gun violence.

Students’ mental health and well-being are decreasing in quality, while suicide and murder rates are increasing dramatically because of gun violence in America. While many people may think students are unaffected by gun violence, in actuality they are even more affected than most adults. Students are especially impacted by school shootings, even if they aren’t directly involved in one. In “Surviving a school shooting: Impacts on the mental health, education, and earnings of American youth” by Maya Rossin-Slater she writes “While many students are physically unharmed, studies have consistently found consequences to their mental health, educational, and economic trajectories that last for years, and potentially decades, to come.” Even if a person isn’t physically harmed, a harmful incident, such as a school shooting, can have a major impact on the rest of your life. Poor mental health can lead to many issues that cause tons of problems for your physical health. Rossin-Slater even says “Research indicates a higher rate of antidepressant use among those exposed to a school shooting in the years following the gun violence.” (Rossin-Slater) While antidepressants do have FDA approval as a treatment for certain medical disorders, they are still a drug and could cause severe or even life-threatening damage to your physical health if used excessively. This is also true with other medications such as Benzos, Xanax, and Ativan, along with so many others. If poor mental health among students keeps increasing, antidepressant and other drug usage will also increase, which could lead to a lot more overdoses and deaths. Overuse of prescription drugs is just one thing that has played a role in the upsurge of gun suicides and deaths. Everytown’s article “Gun Deaths In Kentucky '' tells us that “In Kentucky, the rate of gun deaths increased 46% from 2011 to 2020, compared to a 33% increase nationwide. The rate of gun suicides increased 9% and gun homicides increased 159% compared to a 12% increase and 70% increase nationwide.” (Everytown) If gun deaths, suicides, and homicides increased that much in just nine years just imagine what could happen in the next ten years. We can lessen the impact of gun violence incidents if we make a plan and take action to stop it.

State governments need to enforce stronger firearm safety laws to decrease the amount of people who die or are injured because of gun violence. Evidence suggests that strong firearm safety laws really help when it comes to decreasing gun deaths in the U.S. In a study conducted by Everytown, a nonprofit organization that fights against gun violence, they found that “In states where elected officials have taken action to pass gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence.” (Everytown) In this study they ranked U.S. states on how strong their gun laws were compared to the number of gun deaths per 100,000 residents. In the ranking “National Leaders” we can see that in states with strong gun laws there is an average of 8.2 gun deaths per 100,000 people. However, when looking at the ranking “National Failures” we see an enormous amount of gun deaths, with an average of about 21 deaths per 100,000 people,  in the states with profoundly weak laws. It is crystal clear that when states enforce strong gun safety laws there are significantly less firearm related deaths compared to those states who have extremely weak laws. One way we can help stop the increase in gun deaths and injuries is by creating better background check laws. In Everytown’s article “Gun Safety Policies Save Lives” they found that “Out of all guns showing up at crime scenes after crossing state lines, four out of five come from states that lack good background check laws.” (Everytown) By creating better background check laws we can slow the transfer between buyer and customer which could help derail any dangerous or life threatening plans that a person may have. By slowing this process we are simultaneously slowing the transfer of guns between states, which, in theory, would lessen the number of gun deaths and injuries throughout the states. RAND corporation, a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges, also conducted a study on gun laws that helped find the most restrictive combination of firearm policies and the impact they made on gun deaths. RAND researchers found that having a child-access-prevention (CAP) law reduced gun deaths by 6% and not having a right-to-carry (RTC) law, and restricting who can carry guns,  nor a stand-your-ground (SYG) law, which requires that a person claiming self-defense try to avoid the conflict before using deadly force, reduced gun deaths by 3%. (Gardner, Okuley, and Floyd) Tons of research and many studies support the fact that strong gun laws do actually help reduce gun deaths. By stabilizing gun laws we can lower the number of people who die or are injured by firearms in the U.S. Meanwhile, we are, at the same time, creating a better world for future generations.

            By decreasing the amount of shootings in U.S. schools and providing better mental health care to those who are affected by school shootings, youth mental health will increase, leading to better options for our future. Some people may think that adults are the ones being more impacted by gun violence when, in reality, it’s actually youth that are the most afflicted. When students are exposed to a school shooting it leads to “drops in student enrollment and a decline in average test scores.” (Rossin-Slater) Lower enrollment and test scores leads to the likelihood of a student needing to repeat a grade in the years following a school shooting. When your mental well-being is disrupted because you have experienced a school shooting it doesn’t only affect where you are now, but it also affects your future. Research shows that students exposed to school shootings tend to be less likely to graduate, or even go to, college leading to a lower likelihood of being employed, therefore, causing them to collect a lower salary. (Stanford) If youth is earning a low salary, there is a high chance that they won’t be able to provide a sufficient amount of necessities for themselves or their families. This could lead to higher rates of homelessness and even more horrible things that negatively impact our future. However, if we reduce the amount of school shootings we will be providing youth a better foundation on which to build their future. Rossin-Slater’s article compares Norway and Texas and the mental health care they provide to those affected by school shootings. They found that the Norwegian government provided substantial support both with resources and financially to survivors and that helped offset some of the negative long-term effects of shootings. (Rossin-Slater) Research has repeatedly shown that when countries provide resources and financial support the survivors of gun violence are better able to deal with the effects and impacts that shootings have on mental health. If we could take similar steps to ensure that the need for mental health services is being met we would help build a happier, healthier, and more balanced society.

If state governments were to limit who can carry certain guns, murder and suicide rates would notably decrease. With military style firearms widely available to the public, more people are looking to guns as solutions for their problems which is causing tons of issues. In April 2023, “A 25-year-old man in Kentucky legally purchased an AR-15-style rifle at a local gun dealership. Six days later he used that weapon to kill five of his colleagues at a downtown bank, Louisville Metro Police said Tuesday.” (Campbell, Hannah, and Joseph) This man was able to easily access this weapon because the assault rifle ban of 1994 was repealed. The assault rifle ban was created to address public concerns after multiple mass shootings. After 10 years the ban was repealed which was one of the worst decisions that could have been made. Automated rifles are much faster and easier to use than handguns making them more dangerous. As a result, more youth are murdered by others rather than killing themselves. In fact, “In the US, 35% of all gun deaths among children and teens are suicides and 60% are homicides.” (Everytown) Louisville Kentucky’s mayor, Craig Greenberg, has said that we need to make laws to change legal access to firearms, however, our leaders have yet to do anything about it. After the bank shooting in April, Greenberg, himself, said “Think about that: that murder weapon will be back on the streets one day, It’s time to change this law and let us destroy illegal guns and destroy the guns that have been used to kill our friends and kill our neighbors.” (Campbell, Hannah, and Joseph) We can stop the murder of innocent people by reinstating the assault rifle ban and only allowing certain guns to the public.

America’s gun violence rates are too high and they need to be lowered. Kids as young as nine have to practice Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (ALICE) drills and are educated on what to do if there’s an active shooter. Middle schoolers are constantly worried about what could happen if there was a shooting in their school. High school and college students have easy access to guns and are using them to kill others and themselves. Firearm related deaths and injuries are at an all-time high and are continuing to rise higher and higher. Youth mental health has taken a huge blow and is decreasing at an alarming rate. If our country's leaders don’t take action to stop the surge of gun violence, our future will be devastated and become a terrifying place for future generations.

However, there are ways we can help stop this possibility from becoming a reality. For starters, doing something as simple as taking extra safety precautions when locking up your gun could greatly reduce gun deaths, especially those that happen among youth. Licensed gun dealers can help with this by providing a lock or gun safe for a customers' firearm that helps protect it from children. State governments can ban certain guns, such as the AR15, and only allow them to be used by the military and other armed forces. State governments should also require a minimum of 48 hours to pass before a person picks up the gun they bought, giving the employer more time to conduct an in-depth background check. We the people can convince our state governments to strengthen gun laws and restrictions, limit the guns allowed to the public, and have tightened security measures when guns are being bought because it will decrease murder and suicide rates and improve youth mental health.

Works Cited

Campbell, Josh, et al. “Kentucky has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the US.” CNN, 12 April 2023, cnn.com/2023/04/12/us/kentucky-gun-laws

Cornell Law. “Second Amendment | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute.” Law.Cornell.Edu, law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment

Everytown. “Gun Safety Policies Save Lives.” Everytown Research, 12 January 2023, everytownresearch.org/rankings/

Everytown. “Gun Violence in Kentucky.” EveryStat, everystat.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Gun-Violence-in-Kentucky.pdf

Gardner, Maria. “These Three Firearm Restrictions Could Help Reduce Gun Deaths in Your State.” RAND Corporation, rand.org/research/gun-policy/firearm-mortality.html

Rossin-Slater, Maya. “Surviving a school shooting: Impacts on the mental health, education, and earnings of American youth.” Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, June 2022, siepr.stanford.edu/publications/health/surviving-school-shooting-impacts-mental-health-education-and-earnings-american

Tirman, John. “The Origins Of America's Gun Obsession | Cognoscenti.” WBUR, 27 July 2018, wbur.org/cognoscenti/2018/07/27/what-makes-americans-so-attached-to-their-guns-john-tirman