“I’m Ana’s mom. A month ago I put two children on the bus, and only one came home.” These chilling words were spoken by Nelba Márquez-Greene, parent of a student who was killed in the Sandy Hook Massacre. All of the parents who had children attending Sandy Hook Elementary sent their children to school without a clue of what was going to happen that day. A total of twenty children and six teachers and faculty members were killed in this horrific shooting (CNN Library). This is just one example of gun violence and its effects on victims and their families. I believe we need to tighten gun control laws in the United States due to the enormous number of deaths caused by gun violence and the modest gun control measures that put guns in the hands of the wrong people.

Gun violence has made an enormous impact on citizens of the United States. In fact, gun violence is the cause of more than 100,000 American deaths everyday. Although there are several gun control measures that restrict the sale of certain guns such as the National Firearms Act, it is extremely simple to purchase a shotgun or hunting rifle at a local gun store without trouble. According to Erin Richardson and David Hemenway, writers from the Department of Health Services, “The U.S. firearm homicide rate is twenty times higher than the combined rates of twenty-two countries that are our peers in wealth and population” (Richardson and Hemenway). Gun violence has also taken a major toll on children. The U.S. Department of Justice states that “More than one in five U.S. teenagers (ages fourteen to seventeen) report having witnessed a shooting.” In large cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago, shootings have become “normal” for children to hear about. These horrifying facts prove that stricter gun control laws are necessary to stop these tragic deaths in the United States.

We are responsible for establishing laws to keep us safe. The beginning of the U.S. Constitution states, “We the people of the United States” must “insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty.” This means it is our responsibility, as individuals, to create an overall safer environment for everyone. I feel that extensive background checks are necessary to accomplish this goal. When purchasing any gun, it should be required to show whether someone has had a history of mental illness or criminal records. According to Sarah Ferris and Jessica Boehm, writers for the Washington Post, both the Newtown school shooting and the congresswoman who were shot in Tucson “were carried out by heavily armed young men with histories of mental illness” (Boehm and Ferris). This comes to show that incidents involving guns could be prevented by having restrictions on who can own guns.

Gun violence has caused far too many deaths and injuries in the United States. Since the shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School there have been over 30 school shootings, including the most recent shooting that took place on October 24 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington state. Jaylen Fryberg, the gunman, opened fire with a small pistol during lunch, killing four people and injuring one, and then later killing himself (Carter). This incident is one of many that have cost an average of 100,000 American lives every day. This number includes many children and innocent people who were living normal lives - going to school, work, and home to their families.

Lastly, too many people who are incapable of handling guns have had them in their possession. For example, Adam Lanza, the man responsible for the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, was thought to have serious mental issues. He suffered from severe depression and did not know how to properly handle his overwhelming emotions. I feel that mental illnesses can be triggered even after years of treatment and therapy. It is unfair that innocent people die because guns are put into the hands of the wrong people.

Although some people believe that gun control would infringe upon the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment actually states that a “well regulated militia” has the right to bear arms - not individuals. In fact, Michael Waldman, who writes for the Seattle Times, states that “there is not a single word about an individual right to a gun for self-defense in the notes from the Constitutional Convention” (Waldman). Times were much different when the Constitution was written, meaning the Constitution had a much different meaning than it does today. In the 1700s, guns were not as powerful, and people generally used them for protection against invading countries and hunting - not pointless murder.

Some people believe that there is no point to having gun control laws, as criminals could still obtain guns. As stated by Bill Keller, a writer for the New York Times, some people believe “our current, loophole-ridden background checks don’t catch criminals, so tougher background checks are pointless” (Keller). This statement, however, is completely wrong. It is suggesting that since criminals already obtain guns illegally, we should give up and allow even more criminals to obtain guns.

Ultimately, I feel that it is necessary to establish tight gun control laws in order to provide a safe environment for American citizens. We need to take action and create laws that will require people to go through full, extensive background checks which will notify the gun seller if one has had previous mental illnesses or criminal records. I also feel gun buyers must go through a training process to learn how to handle guns and use them properly. Gun owners should also be required to have a safe place in their homes to store guns to prevent children and guests from having access to guns. In conclusion, stricter gun control laws are necessary to reduce the high gun violence rate in the United States.