*These thoughts are that of the author and do not represent all of Her Campus or Her Campus at Old Westbury.*
My thoughts on a complex and expansive topic are as follows.
Once again, headlines and articles take over my newsfeed. Another mass shooting.
Individuals can be identified by many different things. Age, gender identity, nationality, sexual preference and political standpoint are a few of the many. Though there are many different ways we can choose to characterize ourselves, I truly believe that our differences must be put aside for any widespread change to take place.
Firearm regulation is one of these necessary changes.
Of course, everybody’s entitled to a variety of different political viewpoints in stances that they can take upon. When it comes to gun control, there are a variety of different arguments that stem from an individual’s personal experiences as well as their political standpoint. However, I truly believe that it doesn’t matter if you’re left or right, liberal or conservative, Democratic, Republican, a member of the green party, libertarian, or whatever else… innocent people are being slain again and again at the hands of deranged individuals who have legal access to firearms.
I get that guns don’t kill people. They’re inanimate objects. People kill people. But don’t you think there’s a bit of a problem when these people have legal access to weapons that are capable of massacre? I’ve heard the argument against gun regulation that relates to the panic of one’s second amendment rights being infringed. If I said it once, I’ll repeat myself until people understand; firearm regulation does not equate to total eradication of guns. Stringent regulations on who is granted access to a firearm might be what it takes to avoid another incident like Sandy Hook or Orlando.
Rights are always going to be advocated for. However, I’m one to stick to the notion that the right of a fourteen year old to survive a day at school outweighs yours to own a firearm. Sorry.
Though gun control is an extremely vast field that encompasses mental health issues, race, personal preferences and upbringing, change will not magically bring itself up from the shadows of those massacred if people simply resort to “thoughts and prayers” instead of actually doing something. To protest for change, many students are organizing school walkouts.