After two long years of fully remote learning, school finally returned to the in-person learning format. For the first year, I got what seemed like a “more normal” high school experience… until police officers were called into school for a shooting threat sent over Snapchat – all within the first month of school.

As a student, gun control is a topic highly relevant to my environment, and the safety of those within it. While I recognize the constricting effect the Second Amendment would have on the ban on guns, I believe that at the bare minimum, the sale of guns in America should be more closely monitored. The United States currently has one of the world’s most prevalent gun violence cases, according to an article by NPR, obtaining the status of “32nd– highest rate of deaths from gun violence in the world: 3.65 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019. That was more than eight times as high as the rate in Canada, which was 0.37 deaths per 100,000 people – and nearly 100 times higher than in the United Kingdom, which had 0.04 deaths per 100,000.” This rate of violence is unacceptable, especially when there are numerous measures that could be taken to prevent this. We are fostering millions of deaths per year solely because of an inappropriately inapplicable portion of a document made over a hundred years ago – the times have changed and we must change with them. While there are legal and moral concerns and restrictions that make it problematic to state a full out ban, stricter background checks should be applied to anyone seeking to obtain possession of a firearm.

 This solution minimizes arguments against the removal of guns by ensuring those in a compromised state never gain access to firearms, while those who have given no reason for doubt are allowed to carry them as methods of self-defense. The partial blockage would assist the legal process as well, making it a modification rather than an upheaval of the second amendment.

Many shootings or gun violence cases occur due to a distorted mental or environmental state, which can easily be foreseen with heavier background checks. The gaiety with which guns are distributed result in a dangerous climate where those with severe grudges and those with an inability to fully control themselves are given a tool that could easily snuff out lives. Especially when brought into proximity of areas such as schools, where firearms and even more basic items are prohibited, it guarantees a hazardous environment. While there are procedures in place to address the bringing of weapons onto school grounds – it still happens, people still bring guns into school, and they open fire. It isn’t just in school scenarios – it happens in outside areas as well. The wide scale access to guns results in more overall chances for accidents to happen – and this is being multiplied when firearms are distributed to those with questionable records and motives.  

 The vague constrictions on gun distribution are not enough, and measures need to be taken to ensure the safety of citizens. Through limitation, we can ensure that lives are not meaninglessly extinguished through the actions of careless administration.