The fact that I’m writing another article on gun control after another mass shooting in the United States astounds me. The fact that there is a section of society that thinks that “nothing could’ve been done to have prevented this” drives me crazy.
In the wake of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the students of MSD have turned to activism by starting the #NeverAgain movement. This is a movement started by MSD and led by students who are demanding action in Congress for stricter gun laws and reform.
Gun violence and mass shootings are an epidemic that is unique to the United States. We hold 5 percent of the world’s population, but 31 percent of global mass shooters. 1,077 people, 176 of those being children, have died due to mass shootings from 1966 to 2018. The frequency rate for mass shootings has now increased to at least one mass shooting every 64 days. That is an average of one every 1 ½ months.
Why do politicians, particularly Republicans, go on for hours about banning abortions and “protecting life,” when 2,737 of our children die every year in result of gun violence. They seem very concerned in protecting the “lives” of the unborn versus the lives of children who are actually alive. In October 2017, Senator Marco Rubio co-sponsored a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Since the Parkland shooting, Marco Rubio has introduced zero legislation on gun reform to prevent another one of his constituents from dying. It’s ironic that a man who cares so much about the unborn is willing to ban stem cell research and give legal protection to unborn children, has taken 3.3 million dollars in blood money from the NRA, and only has “thoughts and prayers” to offer to the victims. He has demonstrated a failure to care about the lives of the 17 children that died on his watch.
To get an abortion, you typically need to have parental permission (if you’re a minor), a mandatory 72 hour waiting period, and a note from a doctor proving you understand what you’re about to do. Some women have to travel 100+ miles to the nearest clinic if there isn’t a clinic near them and face possible protesters and violence. To buy a gun from a federally licensed firearm dealer, all you need to do is fill out an application and possibly undergo a background check depending on what state you live in. If you purchase a gun from someone who is not a federally licensed dealer or from someone privately, buying a gun is as easy as getting milk from the supermarket. This is known as the gun show loophole.
No woman getting an abortion has killed a room full of people in minutes. It’s time to turn our attention to saving lives of children who are alive and living out in the world. Gun control is a pro-life issue because we never want a person to walk into school and kill more children ever again. Gun control is a pro-life issue because our lives should be valued more than NRA money. Gun control is a pro-life issue because students are tired of practicing shooter drills and feeling scared of something they shouldn’t have to think about on a daily basis. Gun control is a pro-life issue because civilians shouldn’t be afraid to go to the mall, a movie theater, a concert, school, a restaurant, college, or work.
These kids and I are demanding that Congress starts protecting us, not guns. They work for us, not the NRA. Protecting and saving children’s lives from gun violence; you can’t get any more pro-life than that.