When will enough be enough?
I’m sick and tired of seeing so many people die because of gun violence. How many more people will have to die at the hands of a bullet before our supposed leaders take necessary action? How many more children have to die before they reach puberty until we see America has a problem?
Gun violence is so normalized it becomes commonplace, even uneventful, to hear about. I remember growing up and hearing kids my age were being murdered in other states or even counties. A child shouldn’t have to worry if they will be able to come home when they go to school. We shouldn’t lose the people who mean the most to us. We shouldn’t have to keep losing the people who inspire us. We shouldn’t have to lose our very own.
Following the St. Louis shooting, I felt compelled to see statistics reflecting our shooting culture in the US. As of 2022, America has witnessed 531 mass shootings and 257 school shootings (World Population Review). In Georgia, we’ve seen 1,623 deaths from gun violence. Are these statistics not horrifying enough?
As of April of this year, Georgia no longer requires an individual to have a permit before purchasing or carrying a weapon (Giffords). You must be wondering how this translates to universities. Well, here is Georgia State’s policy: you must have a license, and you can carry a weapon in a concealed manner, except in the dorms. This policy is meant to add a layer of ‘protection’ to the individual while ‘protecting’ their fellow panthers (GSU). This policy still makes me anxious, not knowing who may or may not have a gun.
Whether or not one should have guns isn’t the focus–as it’s your constitutional right. Instead, it’s on the overzealous gun violence we’ve seen in the past year and past decade. Have we learned nothing? America needs better gun control and policies in place to protect its people. How is it normal that a child can walk into a store where they sell groceries and purchase a rifle? If so many shooters are saying they aren’t mentally well, why don’t we require mental wellness checks? How is it ok that we can now carry guns without a permit? Why are we having teachers buy bulletproof vests for their classrooms?
It has gotten to the point where most of us have become so desensitized to gun violence that jokes are made about it. So many shootings and deaths for so many years, and yet the cycle repeats itself. Lawmakers and citizens alike turn a blind eye to this issue, but hey, This Is America, right?
This is why I urge all of us to try and take action to stop this senseless gun violence. Let’s all be wary of who represents us following these midterm elections. Let’s not forget to vote to see the change we want for our nation and its people! This is a change we can make right now!
