121. There have been 121 mass shootings in the United States since January 1, 2019. We are four months into the year and this country has already been affected by gun violence 121 times. Gun violence in the United States is exponentially higher than that of other countries. In most countries, gun violence isn’t even a problem. On April 30, 2019, a student open fire on his school and left two people dead with three more in critical condition. When the alert popped up on my phone, my heart dropped. One of my cousins is a student at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, where the shooting took place. Luckily my cousin was able to find a safe place, but there were 5 students that were not so lucky. It breaks my heart to think about how the families of those people will never be the same. Since last February, when the Parkland shooting happened, all eyes have been on the government waiting for them to do something that can help stop these tragedies. Like never before, people are using their voices and trying to put an end to these horrific events.
After the tragedy in Christchurch, New Zealand immediately went to work trying to figure out how to prevent shootings like that from happening again. Less than a month after the shooting that killed 50 people, New Zealand had outlawed military-style weapons. Anyone not abiding by this law can face a sentence of up to five years in prison. Our government has barely done anything to try and prevent these kinds of attacks against innocent people. A big cause of this problem is the fact that the NRA is giving money to government officials in order to keep the current laws in place that protect their gun rights. These laws are doing nothing but hurting our country and giving people the ability to purchase weapons that no one needs.
I have become numb to waking up almost every day to another story about how gun violence has shattered our country once again. Our country is so divided, but this issue is one that both sides of the government should support together. There is absolutely no reason why I, or anyone, should have to live in fear everyday wondering if their school is next. With all of the pressure our generation is under, safety in our schools is the last thing we should be worrying about.
If you are interested in taking action against gun violence visit https://marchforourlives.com/take-action/ for a list of things you can do to make a difference. In the political climate we are in, every voice matters and can make a change.