By Jessica Armenta
There should be more gun control laws implemented in the United States for the safety of its citizens and students.
As of October 2023, there have been over 175 school shootings alone. It's sad to face the reality that walking into school might be the last based on how many shootings have happened and considering the different threats students have made.
Since 2021, there have been over 4 threats that a student was going to cause a mass shooting at Rialto High School. Those, ultimately, resulted in rumors. Many people have sought this issue as a joke or a game but don’t realize how many lives guns have affected and how many families never see their family members again.
These rumors ultimately invoke fear and worry in students making them want to leave. The threat caused chaos within the administration and the attendance office with parents wanting to pick up their child early just in case that threat turned out to be true. Those students don’t realize that this issue is serious and they could face federal penalties that include a terrorist threat charge.
The government needs to realize that mentally unstable people have easy access to guns and it shouldn't be okay. Back in 2022 in the Uvalde mass shooting, the 18-year-old suspect alone gained easy access to an AR-15 just days before the shooting happened. These stories are the main example of why gun control needs to happen. If nothing is done this will continue to happen making students and citizens think that each day could possibly be their last.
Many people believe that guns should be easily accessible to the public for self-defense and that taking them away would infringe everyone's 2nd amendment right. It's understandable that many people want it for self-defense but that doesn’t erase the fact that guns alone have caused so much destruction in the United States while they're in the hands of mentally unstable psychopaths.
As of August 2023, the state of California officially implemented mandatory mental health evaluations in most gun shops. This is the best law implemented in the last 4 years for the safety of students and children.
Mental health evaluations should be implemented everywhere, not just in California. There are many gun owners who have underlying mental issues that haven't been diagnosed. There are dangerous people out there with literal rifles who are a walking danger to themselves and others.
Guns aren't the solution for self-defense. When dealing with self-defense there's always different alternatives to use such as pepper spray, tasers, and even self-defense weapons alone that won't create mass shootings.
It's sickening to think that these people are taking the lives of children. Children who haven't even reached their milestones, children who still have their life ahead of them.
Most of the United States hopes to control this constant tragedy by reaching the government to change the law. Students deserve to feel safe at school with no fears and worries. It's not fair.