Opinion | The answer to a safer America: stricter gun control

Editorial: As featured in volume 111, issue 11 of The Collegian.

It was a normal Monday afternoon. My professor closed the door of our classroom for precaution and safety, like always, and informed us that yet another school shooting had occurred. Three children and three staff members were shot in their own school in Nashville, Tenn. I reacted similarly to most people — like nothing new had happened. We have become desensitized to the fact that children regularly die in American schools and we continue on with our lives, unaffected. As a future educator, I no longer want to just watch new action plans be implemented for active shooters. I don’t want to tell my students that these plans may help us stay alive in a worst-case scenario. These worst-case scenarios are becoming more common, not mere possibilities.

As mentioned in Rosanna Smart and Andrew R Morral’s CNN opinion piece, “Barely through January, America has this year already experienced 63 incidents with four or more people shot and more than 4,200 firearm deaths.” 

These numbers come from January of 2023, alone. We are now almost through March and things have not changed; more deaths have occurred. We simply can no longer accept this. We need to demand change.

Schyler Entz — Photo by Lindsey Pfannenstiel

Within the past year, many politicians have countered gun control suggestions by arming more people, including teachers. Although, as Scientific American stated in an article published May 26, 2022, “The science is abundantly clear: More guns do not stop crime. Guns kill more children each year than auto accidents.” In 2017, guns became the biggest injury-based killer of children. 

Facts show that states with higher rates of homicide have higher rates of gun ownership. Additionally, data demonstrates how killings have increased in areas where new gun shops or dealers have opened. America’s homicide rates are nearly 50% higher than continents such as Europe and Asia. America has many more guns and fewer gun laws than these areas. All data points to solutions contrary to what many American politicians advocate for: more guns. More guns are not the answer. 

Gun control needs to be implemented in the United States, which may mean many changes to laws and governance. For example, the U.S. could require those hoping to obtain a gun to complete a firearm safety training before purchasing. A universal background check could be implemented, creating a database that tracks gun sales, banning violent offenders from buying firearms. Gun control laws could help in the simplest of ways and have been proven effective again and again. Law and policy makers in the United States must initiate these changes. Children must no longer be scared to go to school. Parents should see their children after school gets out. We need stricter gun laws.