Three women hold signs up during a gun violence protest. The signs spell out “Please Don’t Shoot.” Photo from Brewminate.com, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
Guns Have No Mercy
Gun violence will not spare anyone — not in America. No identity or ideology can prevent a brutal and murderous death. Regardless of loved ones or a family, if a shooter opens fire, a life is at risk and possibly lost. And this year, just 255 days into 2025, there are 47 recorded school shootings, according to CNN. What is worse? CNN reports these incidents have resulted in 19 confirmed deaths and at least 77 injured victims. CNN’s report shows that America is on route to another grim record — not of triumph, but of tragedy. In comparison to previous years at the 255-day mark, 2025 ranks fourth in the quantity of shootings.
Violence Victims: Evergreen High
On September 10, a teenager’s choice took the lives of two other teens. Why? Because of a gun. Current lead suspect Desmond Holly first opened fire at 12:24 p.m. in Evergreen, Colorado, at Evergreen High School. According to USA Today, Holly was armed with a handgun and fired shots inside and out of Evergreen High. After shooting the victims, the suspect fatally shot himself. Evergreen High is just one example in a growing record of violence that highlights the urgent need for radical change.
Catholic School Shooter Proves Why Regulation is Needed
In today’s America, you cannot even pray without risking your life. Another school shooting — just like Evergreen — happened in Minneapolis back on August 27. A 23-year-old man opened fire on school children and staff while they prayed during Catholic mass. The shooter, Robin Westman, was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, according to AP News.
As well as that, Westman had no criminal history and no help with his crime. Without a criminal background, it is nearly impossible to predict that someone like Westman would become a murderer. Because of this, Westman’s actions exemplify how the current law allows for easy homicide. Federal regulations for owning a firearm remain minimal. All an individual must do is exceed the age of 18, have zero felony charges that require a term longer than a year and pass a background check. And, people like Westman followed those regulations precisely. After acquiring a weapon — legally or not — it takes one choice: to uphold the law or to kill.
Saddening Statistics
Per The Washington Post, since the Columbine High School shooting, authorities have documented 435 shootings in America. Eerily enough, 398,000 students have experienced gun violence in these 435 shootings. Nearly half a million lives risked in the name of freedom — a chilling consequence of free will.
Further, The Post finds that at least 218 individuals (children and staff) have died and 512 others sustained injury since the Columbine shooting. This means that in total, 730 lives have dealt with gun violence head-on. Guns have tested the limit of innocent American lives in 730 instances — and 30 percent of the time, the gun won.
So, the long-standing question remains: How many more? How many more lives will America lose to weapons? How many more schools will criminals massacre before the American government intervenes? For the sake of the nation, it should be zero. There is no justification for continuous and widespread homicide. No person nor child deserves to die for simply existing, not a single one.
An Answer to a Systematic Problem
“It’s my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school ever experiences a day like this,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in an AP News article.
Like Governor Walz, I share this same desire.
However, I wholeheartedly believe the only way to rectify gun violence is through a constitutional amendment. The American Constitution does not protect citizens the way it should; its current interpretation leaves citizens vulnerable to gun violence, underscoring the need for reform. America continues to struggle with balancing individual freedoms alongside public safety. If Congress backs America’s best interests, then they must focus on future generations and their safety. So, for the safety of our nation, congressional members should vote to amend the Second Amendment. State governments, not the federal government, should have the power to uphold and regulate the Second Amendment. Right now, firearms impose a plethora of risks to law-abiding citizens, and our government will not halt them.
Amending the Second Amendment would allow higher regulation or an overall ban of weapons in states. While this would not catch on in Republican states, it would in Democratic states like Oregon. If enacted, students like myself could walk or drive to school without the worry that any day could be our last — because of a gun.
