In light of the unfortunate recent, and not so recent, events gun control is a huge topic in American Society. Guns have been prevalent in American society for years, and some wonder why it has taken so long for people to see that they are not needed in everyday society. Others are saying that guns have been around for so long that it is our 2nd Amendment right and they act as a way for people to protect themselves. From viral videos of kids being elated about getting guns for birthdays, to viral videos of students hiding from school shooters under desks and in closets, I can’t help but ask, why is gun control such a difficult topic to talk about and why are guns so difficult to regulate?
This is a difficult topic because people in this country are divided about the issue of taking away guns versus keeping them. However, gun control is not about taking away guns, but puting regulations on them. Ordinary citizens, including high school students, should not have access to assault rifles that are given to military officials. Regulating them would make it harder to obtain these weapons. The constant question that arises, however, is whether to ban guns completely or to keep it at certain regulations. Recently, Florida Lawmakers passed a bill to that raises the buying age to 21. There are controversies surrounding this decisions, for example, raising the age will not stop anyone from buying a gun who is not supposed to, as people younger than 18 have still bought guns in the past. When the suspects of shootings are named the first thing they blame it is mental health. This raises the question: if it is based on mental health issues, than what can we do to improve overall mental health reform?
“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is a statement that is used regularly and also one of the most problematic statements regarding gun violence, but the statement perfectly describes gun culture in America. Some people believe that guns are just props used to kill people, even though I disagree. Guns are rarely used for anything else other than to harm or kill. The only thing that can put an end to gun violence is if there is some form of regulation on the access of guns, not simply standing by while other tragic events happen.