The Covenant School is one of hundreds of examples of the darkest part of this country. Gun violence itself is remarkably prominent, more heavily in the United States compared to the rest of the world. In the past decade alone, over one million citizens have been shot by a firearm. For every ten U.S. murders, eight (80%) of them involve a gun. In comparison, 4% of the United Kingdom’s, 37% of Canada’s, and 13% of Australia's murders involve a gun. We are supposedly the safest country in the world, yet people are shot dead in everyday life. Plus, we know it’s not going anywhere. In fact, there has been a 43% increase in gun violence alone over the last ten years.
America needs help.
Some say that having more guns keeps us safer. Others argue that isn’t right. Looking at the numbers knowing we have the most guns in the world (390 million :: 1.2 guns per person) with the highest gun violence, how can that claim be valid? Having more guns doesn’t necessarily make anyone feel safer. In reality, it onlyhas the potential to make the gun-owner feel more powerful.
The 2nd Amendment of the The Constitution is reflected in this matter. The amendment states, “... the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The founding fathers who only used muskets and bayonets that took 30 seconds to reload wrote words that are still governing those who can fire 1-3 shots per second with a semi-automatic rifle. They would have never imagined such technology as the AR-15 and AK-47 from today’s weaponry. The writing process in 1791 may have looked much different to James Madison if these firearms existed back then.
Another variable in the debate is the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA is a gun-rights advocacy group that mainly lobbies for support in Congress. They have grown very powerful because of their wealth. With around 4.3 million members, the NRA is spending an estimated $42 million this year to persuade congressmen and congresswomen to vote in favor of not limiting guns, even though statistics show restricting more guns would likely decrease mass shootings by a significant amount.
Many people are calling for stricter gun control laws. It makes sense. Accordinhg to BBC, fifty people die from guns every day in the U.S. In more recent years, there has been more specific focus on an assault weapon ban, and this isn’t the first time it’s happened. In 1994, then-President Bill Clinton signed an assault weapons ban that was scheduled to last ten years. It proved to work because during the timeline of the ban, U.S. citizens were 70% less likely to die in a mass shooting than today. It seems most logical to look at the math: the less guns we have, the less gun violence may occur.
Former-President George W. Bush let the ban expire which only caused more shootings to take place. Nine states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York) and Washington D.C. have all banned assault weapons, but 25 states, including most recently Texas and Georgia, have passed legislation that makes it 100% legal to carry a firearm without a license, permit, or even training. Tennessee unsurprisingly is a part of those states. Polls show 57% of Americans support more restrictions on guns while 32% believe the gun laws should remain the same.
This shooting is a wake-up call once again that we do need to fix this. It’s not going away. In the first 87 days of 2023, there were 130 mass shootings. Sure, we choose to do nothing yet again. Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett even said it himself. When asked what the Republican Party would do about the epidemic of mass shootings, he honestly replied, “We’re not going to fix it.” He then mentioned how his father’s experience in World War II included how one had to fight for themselves, but as ‘Late Night Show’ host, Stephen Colbert, replied, “Counterpoint: Elementary School is not supposed to be like World War II.”
- Jacob Francy
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