We live in a society that has become desensitized to mass shootings. On October 1, 2015, Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, killing 10 students and injuring seven more. In the days following the shooting, President Obama addressed the American public and specifically the families of the victims during a speech at the White House. This wasn’t the first time he has had to stand in front of the press and make such a speech. Since taking office, he has had to address school shootings fifteen times.
During his speech, a visibly upset President Obama asked news organizations to look back on the past decade and calculate the number of Americans killed by terrorist attacks in comparison to those killed by gun violence. CNN calculated the results and the numbers were astonishing.
As a college student living in Iowa City, hearing that yet another school shooting has happened hits home. It’s normal to comfort our fears with the thought that something like that could never happen here. On the other hand, it’s naive to ignore the reality of whats happening all around the country. College campuses everywhere have equal possibility of being next on the list of towns that have become infamous under horrendous circumstances. Unless something is done about gun control.
When the second amendment was made, the world was a completely different place. Slavery still existed, men wore wigs, and Iowa wasn’t even a state yet. The customs and culture of that world have dramatically changed. In 2015, we have a black preisdent, men now wear man buns, and the state of Iowa has a football team ranked 7-0. The laws made in 1791 should be subject to change if shown necessary. According to Everytown Research, there has been 150 school shootings in America since 2013. If numbers like that don’t resonate and justify change, I’m not sure what does.
In the fifteen times Obama has addressed the American public about gun reform and school shootings, no progress has been made. Even after the Sandy Hook massacre, where 20 innocent children and six adults were killed in December of 2012. Dan Hodges, a commentator for the Telegraph, perfectly summed up the gun control debate.
As millennials, we are the next generation of law makers and the voice of our future. We have the power to tell our current government officials that we strongly believe in gun reform laws. We have the ability to show the world that we are engaged in the politics of our nation, and we do more than tweet and check Facebook all day. The government won’t be able to give up on gun control if we don’t let them.