A lot has happened in the recent years that involves guns. From the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut, to the very recent Florida school shooting, and even the Nickel Mine school shooting in my local area. As a result, a growing argument about gun control is taking over America, and what needs to be done.
I grew up with both sides of the spectrum. My dad believed that teachers and everyone should have a gun; my mom believed that stricter gun control was necessary and presented the argument that in Europe less mass shootings happen there because of gun control. My parents, siblings, and I would often have heated discussions about gun control, and it would end in frustration. But after so many discussions, we finally found a compromise, which I would like to share in the paragraphs below.

No matter what you do, there’s still going to be people who illegally get guns and mod them-it’s something you can’t entirely eliminate. However, you can limit the opportunity and the window to get these weapons. For example, if you pass a law that requires more background checks to get a gun, and require them to get a renewal on the gun every 6 months, you can make it harder for an alleged shooter to kill or harm other people. Although this doesn’t completely eliminate the risk, it becomes harder to obtain a weapon, and abuse its power.

I’ve experienced what it’s like to be in a situation with a shooter. My neighbor got drunk, and started firing shots into the fields next to us. I was scared like I never was before; it still haunts me to this day. You can never really, truly, understand how much an event like a shooting can harm and scar you until you experience it. I hope we can create stricter gun control laws to limit this problem. But people need to act. In the Florida shooting, the parents knew that the shooter had mental issues and was expelled, but they never stepped up to the plate to get the child the help he needs. As a parent, you have a choice: possibly be embarrassed by taking your child to a counselor, or risk them killing dozens of people. It’s up to you parents, and I hope you make the right choice.