To say gun control is a controversial topic is putting it lightly.
It’s no secret that the issue has gotten more than just out of hand: gun violence in the United States is frequent and increasingly deadly. According to AOL, in the past year there have been 345 mass shootings in America alone. Two of these mass shootings are now the deadliest in American history: the Las Vegas massacre, which killed 58 and injured 500, and the Texas Church shooting, which killed 26 churchgoers and injured 20. And back in 2016, the Orlando nightclub shooting took the lives of 49 people. What is it with this trend? Like so many people demanding to know, how many must die before something changes?
Let’s take a look at U.S. gun culture. As CNN reports, one factor that sets the U.S. apart from other countries is that many shooters are mentally ill. Still, the number of cases of mental illness hasn’t increased, but the frequency of mass shootings has.
Guns are easily accessible in the U.S. in a sizable amount of states, such as Florida, where the most recent mass shooting happened. When anyone is looking to purchase a gun, it’s as simple as walking into a store, passing a few simple state checks, paying for the weapon, and walking out. No fingerprints, special permits or waiting period is required. Why is it that easy to purchase a weapon that can murder multiple people in a matter of seconds?
Not only is it that people can buy a gun so easily, it’s also the case that people can buy multiple guns. As mentioned in this CNN article, for example, in the Las Vegas shooting, there were 23 rifles found in the killers’ room. This amount of guns aided in contributing to the death of so many, and the purchasing of multiple guns is relatively easy.
This is where the problem begins. The rules, while getting gradually stricter, are not nearly as strict as they should be. However, strong Second Amendment advocates protest against the tightening of gun laws, claiming that it’s their constitutional right to bear weapons in defense of the shootings that have been taking place. By fighting a gun with a gun though, is the problem solved?
As TIME explains, earlier in the week Trump has commented on the situation by claiming that schools would be safer if teachers were given gun privileges. “A ‘gun free’ school is a magnet for bad people,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “ATTACKS WOULD END!”
This statement not only faced heavy criticism but in no way seems to eliminate the problem. Not only would arming teachers be extremely extensive training and expensive to provide, but it still perpetuates the idea that guns are a necessity.
Several different people took to Twitter to express how they felt about the topic, as it’s evident that many felt the arming of teachers did nothing to aid the issue.
In the past couple days, Trump has been flip-flopping on the issue, as he claimed he wants to create a “beautiful” and “comprehensive” bill to tackle gun violence, however, he has no clear outline of legislative priorities.
The case is that gun violence in the U.S. is a dangerous issue to play with. While it’s more clear now than ever that something has to change, it’s difficult to effect change when both sides have such strong ideas of what will better protect our people. Gun culture, while always danced around but never truly addressed, seems to stay in the same place it has been for the past couple years. It leads one to wonder: what must happen for things to start changing?