Student’s excited chatter frosted the bus windows a crisp hue of white. The last week of school before Christmas break was an exciting one. It was filled with festive crafts, cozy movies, and an undeniable sense of joy that lingered in the air of elementary schools during the holiday season. In Newtown, CT, the air held on tight to this feeling, unaware of the chaos that was soon to unfold.
Instead of the classrooms filling with the innocent chatter of young voices, a sharp crack of gunfire shattered the peace. The air- once light and full of joy- became heavy, as if it was mourning the lives it failed to protect.
On this cold December morning in 2012, 20 innocent children and 6 brave adults lost their lives in the Sandy Hook shooting. The horror of this day lingers in the minds of thousands of people, and serves as a catalyst into important conversations surrounding gun violence and control. Now, over a decade after this unforgettable tragedy, the United States has not made nearly enough change in the field of gun control.
Each year since this incident, more families and communities have been torn apart at the hands of gun violence. The numbers are staggering.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, nearly 45,000 lives were lost in 2023 alone. Although the numbers are striking, behind the statistics are real people, each with their own stories, dreams, and potential. They are not just numbers; and next, they could be our neighbors, children, or loved ones.
Yet, despite the pain, anger, and desperate cries for action, our lawmakers remain largely unmoved. Gun rights advocates argue that more regulations are unnecessary, that further restrictions infringe upon constitutional rights. But what about the right to live without fear? What about the right to send your child to school and not worry whether they’ll return home? The Second Amendment should not be a blanket of justification for mass shootings and unchecked violence. It’s time to recognize that public safety must come before any right to bear arms.
Some argue that stronger gun laws won’t stop criminals from obtaining weapons. While it is true that criminals will always find a way, this does not mean we should simply throw our hands up in defeat. Every gun sale should involve a thorough background check. High-capacity magazines should be banned. Assault rifles, weapons designed for mass destruction, should never be in the hands of civilians. When the bar for gun ownership is lowered to the point where nearly anyone can access deadly weapons, it’s no surprise that the violence escalates.
Look to other countries, where gun violence is a fraction of what we experience domestically. In Australia, following a mass shooting in 1996, the government enacted a comprehensive gun buyback program and implemented strict control measures. Since then, the country has not experienced a mass shooting. In the U.K., similarly stringent regulations have kept gun violence at historically low levels. These countries have shown that it is possible to keep citizens safe without sacrificing personal freedoms.
It is time for America to make the same choice. It’s time to say enough. It’s time to demand common-sense policies that protect the lives of our children, our families, and ourselves. No more excuses. No more thoughts and prayers. We cannot wait for another tragedy to unfold before we act. The gun violence epidemic is not an inevitable fact of life- it is a preventable crisis. It is time for our leaders to put human lives before political dogma.
