If someone were to ask you what happened in Nevada this past Monday, how would you respond? Would you know to what they are referring? Maybe you would have guessed a casino heist or something extravagant. You probably had no idea that anything of importance happened in Nevada. But lo and behold, something very important and concerning happened this past Monday in Nevada, and I am willing to bet a majority of people had no idea occurred. The event I’ve been referring to is the Sparks Middle School shooting. In the shooting, a 12-year-old gunman wounded two of his classmates and killed a teacher before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. According to law enforcement, the boy had taken the handgun used in the shooting from his parents. You may be asking yourself how did you not hear about this event. The answer is: This shooting received very minimal media coverage and was not a major focus for news outlets. In fact, during the 5 p.m. news on Monday, it took almost 20 minutes before there was a mention of the shooting, and even then it was an extremely brief story.
So why did the story receive such minimal coverage in the media? The sad reality is that mass shootings have become so common the American public is desensitized to them. President Barack Obama has said he senses “a creeping resignation” that mass shootings like the one in Nevada are “somehow the new normal.” Since January there have been 16 shootings at schools throughout the United States. If that statistic is shocking, here is an even more shocking one: On average, in the United States, there is a school shooting every eleven school days. Let that number sink in. Eleven days. That’s barely two school weeks. This number is absolutely astonishing.
School shootings are not the only type of shootings on the rise. Throughout the U.S., the number of mass shootings has increased. This cannot continue, and we, as Americans, must do something about it. The answer is stricter gun regulations and increased control. Now some might say that gun control activists are overreacting to tragedies and not thinking clearly. I disagree entirely. If the changes are not made now, when the amount of mass shootings is at a historic high, when will they be made? Americans cannot afford to keep pushing this off to the side. Innocent Americans are being gunned down, and we must not wait for another shooting to occur before making a change. Now is the time for gun control.
The most important, and to me, the most logical component to gun control is universal background checks. Instituting these background checks would prevent unqualified persons from obtaining firearms in the first place. They would prevent felons and other unqualified buyers from slipping the cracks. Currently, there is a great disparity among states’ gun regulations. For example, while California has strict laws that require extensive background checks and waiting periods to verify potential buyer’s information, Oklahoma has no waiting period and citizens can buy a gun the same day. These universal background checks would eliminate confusion over states and their laws, and ensure consistency on a nationwide level. Critics say it infringes on their privacy and Second Amendment right to bear arms. This is not the truth. Sure it may take a few more steps to complete the process, but in the end, it will only prevent ineligible people from buying guns. It won’t prevent qualified buyers from buying guns. They will still be able to purchase their firearms; it just might take a little longer. To me this seems like a logical trade-off. Taking a little extra precaution to make sure everything clears is worth preventing illegal ownership of guns and saving civilian lives.
The other component I believe is essential is the reinstatement of the assault weapon ban. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban was instituted in 1994 and it was effective until 2004, when it expired. Although the criteria of what constitutes an assault weapon is somewhat complicated, it primarily banned semi-automatic firearms and those with similar qualities. By reinstating the assault weapons ban, the effects would be immediate. These banned weapons are, oftentimes, the weapons used in mass shootings. For example, an AR-15, which was used in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting where 12 were killed and 70 were injured, was illegal under this ban. Some of these formerly banned weapons are basically death machines. An AR-15 bullet may go through two people. It seems only logical for these types of weapons to be illegal. Reinstating the ban, obviously, would make these weapons practically unavailable. Some might say criminals will find a way to obtain these guns regardless. And while this may be true, it does not decrease the value of limiting the avenues by which they can be obtained.
While any measures on gun control are unlikely to be passed in Washington, D.C. at this current time, it is critical that Americans step up to the plate and do something. Change will not come from the legislators. It will come from citizens of the United States saying they have seen far too many mass shootings and demanding change. President Obama has urged Americans to take a stand and has said, “Change will come the only way it ever has come, and that’s from the American people.” Now I’m not demanding all guns be illegal and everyone turn over their weapons. The right to bear arms will forever be protected by the Second Amendment. I am simply saying it is time for discussion. It is time for a common sense balance between gun rights and gun control.
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