Every Generation

Every generation has its own struggles and battles to overcome.  Our grandparents made great sacrifices to fight tyranny and oppression caused by the axis powers.  Our parents lived their lives in fear of a nuclear holocaust due to the cold war with the Soviet Union.  Even though war still exists, which unfortunately can be seen in the conflict in Ukraine, the battle being fought by the current generation is hatred and gun violence in our own backyard.

Almost every day we hear about tragedy on the news.  The most covered of these events are school shootings that take the lives of innocent children.  However, the problem is much bigger than most of us realize.  Every day there is some sort of gun crime committed, some of these sad incidents never get national coverage and are often not discussed.  People, who have committed no crimes and have bright futures, lives are sensibly ended for no good reason.  This must stop and only together can we make this happen.  The death of any innocent person should be looked on as a major catastrophe, especially when the victims are kids or teenagers who have never had a chance to contribute to society.  These people could have grown up to achieve greatness and we will never know because their opportunity was cut short.  Gun crimes have become the norm in many cities and regions in the country and we must find a way to solve this problem.

Gun Laws

Every time a gun crime is committed the topic of gun access and Americans second amendment rights comes up.  Some people believe the solution to this problem is strict gun laws that make it more difficult to buy and sell firearms.  There is no real way to prove that this will solve the problem; however, it is important to note that often guns used in crimes are acquired illegally.  It is important to concede that this is not always the case. Additionally, often the guns used in hate crimes are purchased legally by a third party. There is no consistency to where firearms that are used in hate crimes come from.  Some are purchased legally by suspects who have no prior criminal record, some are stolen from parents and other family members, and some are acquired through the black market.  The only constant thing about the origin of firearms used in hate crimes is that they are sourced from inconsistent means.  This leads us back to the initial question of whether or not we need stricter gun laws in this country.  Gun rights activists will argue that there right to bear arms is laid out in the bill of rights.  Even though this is true it is not the entire truth.  The second amendment says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  The second amendment clearly provides for regulation of firearms, but in traditional American fashion it does not elaborate or go into specifics on how to do this.  Furthermore, we must consider that this was written long before the invention of tactical firearms and automatic weapons.  It is impossible to know what the founders would think about this law if they had modern technology.  The point of this section is not to say we need better gun laws, or we do not.  It is to emphasis the debate from both perspectives.  We must be open minded and listen to the perspective of others if we are to make progress combating the current crisis of gun violence.

Mental Health

Another common talking point around gun violence is the national mental health debate.  Clearly someone who thinks it is okay to target innocent people and even children are not stable mentally.  The question becomes how we identify these people and help them before they make a poor choice that not only ruins the lives of others but often ends their lives as well.  Some gun crime suspects have warning signs and others do not, but most of the suspects of these awful shootings could have been helped.  We must get better, as a society, of being accepting of others and being helpful and kind.  People lash out because of hatred and because they see no other way of getting the attention they need.  Furthermore, mental health problems lead to suicide and other types of crimes as well.  There is no singular answer to this problem, but if we are to make progress, we need to get better at realizing the needs of others.  People have different needs and different breaking points, and we must learn to be supportive of everyone.  We can start by being kind and accepting of all people.  We must learn to listen when others speak and to be available to support our friends and families.  Finally, if we think someone is going down a dark path, we need to get them help.  This can be done privately or through involving one of the many mental health support organizations that exist in this country.  The only this that we know for sure is ignoring warning signs only leads to catastrophe.

Progress is difficult and involves debate and compromise.  If we are to solve the gun violence in this country, we must realize that there is no singular way to do so.  Gun laws and mental health awareness may help but they are not singular solutions.  The only thing we know for sure is it will take all of us moving forward together to overcome out current generation’s struggles.  Like our parents and grandparents before us we will succeed no matter the cost and the world will be a better place because of our struggles.  We should always strive for social improvement not for us but for the sake of our children and all future generations.