Opinion

Is America able to recover?

by Tennyson Jackson

In 2022 alone there were 528 mass shootings across the US, a mass shooting is classified as a shooting in which 4 or more people are shot and wounded. 35 of those took place at schools, wounding 76 and killing 30. The most notable one being the shooting in Uvalde, Texas in which 21 students and faculty members were killed. Statistics show that 93% of shooters plan the attack in advance and in four out of five shootings one other person knew about the attack and failed to report it.

I believe that with proper teaching and gun safety being taught to our younger generations and reassuring that people who are buying firearms are up to date with gun safety our country could be a better place. As multiple people in the firearm community have stated, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Guns are a tool that are to be used in two ways, self defense or hunting and providing. If we have any faith left in humanity, we believe as I do that proper firearm safety can be restored.

Most people believe that guns are the problem, however others believe that the problem is who is behind the gun. I believe that if kids were taught how to treat a weapon from a young age and knew how to handle it properly then this would eliminate some of the risk. Additionally, adding a mental screening to be able to buy a gun would aid in eliminating the risk of a mentally ill person being able to purchase a gun.

Another way to make America safer is to ensure that the person who is buying the gun has a lockable place to put it. If each house that had weapons kept them in a locked safe away from children and they didn't know the combination, it would be a lot safer to live in the United States. Finally, we need to teach young people how to work with emotional intelligence in their resolution of conflicts.

To wrap up, America can be as safe as we want it to be, but it will not be safe until everyone knows how to treat a firearm respectively. With this stated all shootings can be prevented with the proper processional procedures in place. America will be able to recover.