Op-Ed: Sadly, Gun Violence Has become a part of our EvEryday lives

About a month ago, DHS received a called-in threat from a potential shooter who threatened to come to our school. 

We all knew the drill. Staff and students quickly moved into action, locking doors, keeping quiet, staying in place. We watched while police officers with giant rifles surrounded and swept the building.

Sadly, it didn't feel foreign. It felt familiar.

To most American children, school shootings have become part of the norm. It's a sad thing when we feel unsafe every time we hear a loud, unexpected noise in the place where we're supposed to feel the safest. 

Schools all over the U.S. are in danger. A recent list of the mass shootings include the Robb Elementary School (Uvalde, Texas) shooting, which killed 21 students and staff, and the private Christian School (Nashville, Tennessee) shooting that killed seven. In 2012, there was the Sandy Hook Elementary School (Newtown, Connecticut) shooting that killed 26, including 20 children- one of the the most heart-wrenching tragedies this country has ever endured. This consistent loss of children due to gun violence is completely unacceptable.

Gun violence has been the leading cause of premature death in the U.S. for may years now. Guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause more than 85,000 injuries each year. In Massachusetts, residents 15 years and older who wish to possess, carry, transport, firearms and ammunition are required to attain a license. Citizens attain these licenses through municipal police departments. This seems like a good place to start with reform. I mean, is it really safe for a 15 year-old to own a gun? The rational part of the human brain isn't even fully developed until the age of 25; therefore, expectation of good judgement and an understanding of long-term consequences would be a gamble at best. Too many of the mass shootings in the last ten years have been carried out by shooters under the age of 25. 

According to Gallup, 32% of U.S. adults say they personally own a gun, while a larger percentage, 44%, report living in a gun household. Surveys across the country indicate that most people own guns for protection, hunting, sports & recreation, or as family heirlooms. 

The Constitution protects the right of law-abiding Americans to own a firearm through the Second Amendment. Like most people in the country, I believe there should be higher security measures in place for those who wish to own a gun. Stringent background checks should be a no-brainer. Perhaps there should also be a newly-designed personality test to weed out those with ill intent. 

Gun violence has sadly become a part of our everyday lives. This needs to stop as soon as possible. And the only way to do it is serious reform at both the federal and state levels. Let's end this madness once and for all.