Imagine being 9 years old, slouching on the couch with your younger sibling.
I’m Bored.
Me too.
Tag, you’re it.
You got up and ran away.
As you got up you bumped into a shelf. It rattled and finally
a hard wooden box fell on your head, then hit the ground.
You clicked open the latch and peeked inside.
Awesome!
Inside you found something cold, black, and powerful -
A gun.
Your parents weren’t home. They were both at work.
Hey look at this! You yelled at the top of your lungs.
You held it firmly in your hands.
Your brother strolled into the room.
Sooo Cooooll!
He slurred.
Can I see?
But as he reached for it, you panicked.
…
The gun went off.
Bang. Bang.
You started balling. You fell to the floor. You could hardly breath.The pain and heartache stung your eyes. Your mind was racing as the images of what just happend flash through it. Your brother, young and innocent, was alive a second ago. You looked down at the gun in your hand. You. Are. A. Killer.
How could this happen?
Now you are scarred for the rest of your life. You accidentally killed your younger brother. All because your parents needed “protection” against criminals.
Now he was gone.
Now it was too late.
All because of a gun, and you were too innocent to understand.

Imagine being the parents.
A shaky hand. Holding a phone. To call 911. Even though you know it’s too late.
Coming home to find one of your children
drenched in blood.
laying on the floor.
Cold. Dead. Gone.





Two words: gun control. It could’ve prevented many homicides of innocent people even if it the gun went off by accident. You are probably thinking that this made up scenario is an exaggeration. That an event similar to this would never happen. That is definitely not true, because in the news there have been many cases where a child has found a gun and someone has been killed. Many have been by accident. According to Randy Furst, “In a Minneapolis home normally busy with children, a grieving father recalled how a handgun he had bought to keep his family safe ended up killing one of his sons”. (From Star Tribune Minneapolis, Article: “Loaded gun that killed 2-year-old was stored behind pillow”). The father, heartbroken and sad, probably thought the child would’ve never found the gun. The thing is, he did and the next thing you know he accidently shot his brother. He would’ve never expected that this would happen. After this incident, he regretted the decision to have bought that gun in the first place. Before this happens to someone else, guns should not be this easy to access. Plus, it is not something to have around children.
If you have a gun you are one of the majority in America. 85 percent of all children murdered in the 14 nations are American children. “American children 5 to 14 years of age are 13 times more likely to be murdered with a gun and eight times more likely to commit suicide with a gun than children in other developed countries.. But when a gun isn’t present, American children’s murder and suicide rates are on a par with those of these developed nations.” (Source: Public Health institute). Do you think there is a connection? 270 million firearms are possessed by people in America, and only 897,000 carried by police. America has the Highest Gun Ownership Rate. How many of those people are actually reliable to be owning a gun?
I need protection. I need to carry a gun with me to feel safe. Guess what… There is a chance that you don’t know how to use it properly. The time may come that you actually do need protection. The gun can be used against you and could end up harming instead of helping you. In addition, a child could be peeking around your things and find this weapon. A gun could go off by accident and hurt you or somebody else. Lastly, some people that have mental health problems can get a hold of a gun. This actually was a big part of many events of the mass shootings and killings of innocent people. Even people that you may not expect to be killers may end up shooting somebody, all because they were allowed to have a gun or got one somehow. This makes different people on the streets so dangerous. People use these deadly weapons for the wrong reasons, plus to get what they want. Even though having stricter gun control may not stop all of the killings it will definitely affect mass killings. It is already hard to access bombs and if guns were not as easy to possess, people would have to use something else. It would be harder for them to kill a lot of people with only a knife or a weapon similar to that. Less people would be harmed. Even though, it was said that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” Less humans would be killed if they don’t get access to guns. The N.R.A and other people who are pro-guns often times have not experienced personal tragedy due to gun violence. They are using guns more for entertainment then for protection. The second amendment “right to bear arms” is hundreds of years old, created in 1791. It shouldn’t control what we do now.

Having a gun in your home significantly increases your risk of death including your family. It doesn’t matter how the guns are stored or what type or how many guns you own. If you have a gun, everybody in your home is in more danger than if you didn’t have a gun.
The event that everyone has heard about - Sandy Hook. When Adam Lanza was 20 years old, he killed his mother, Nancy Lanza. Afterward, he got access to a gun again and went to a school. Around 700 students were affected by this whether it was mentally or physically. In addition, don’t forget about the families, teachers, and everyone who has heard about this tragic event. So many people were damaged by this shooting and it should’ve changed people’s minds about stricter gun regulations. He killed 20 children and 8 adults. After, he then killed himself. Do you think he was dependable to be owning a gun?
Secondly, imagine you are ecstatic. Standing in line, ready to get your ticket. You are with your family to see midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. You sit down in your seat; popcorn in one hand, drink in the other. The lights dim and the movie starts. Later in the movie a man comes in to the theater and starts shooting. Screaming and the sound of gun shots echo through your ears. Even if you were not killed the trauma will haunt you. How many times do you go to the movies? Imagine you were one of the people that just happened to go to the movies on this date at that time. This happened in Colorado. Innocent people, were killed who only wanted to watch a movie. 12 people were killed and 58 injured. James Holmes, the shooter, was accused of opening fire during a midnight screening of The dark knight rises. If only he wasn’t able to access a gun.
According to Daniel Webster, professor and director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, background checks for gun purchasers would reduce deaths from firearms. Colorado got a new gun law and the Huffington Post provided the information that background checks kept 72 criminals from buying a gun. Firearm deaths are lower in states with stricter gun-control laws. Case closed, right? So why do people keep finding a way to access a gun? If more gun laws have been passed, why are people still being able to buy guns this easily? Is this because the people who make and sell guns want to make more money? Is it because humans have to have a gun around them to feel safe from other people? When will this end?
So many deaths that could’ve been prevented by an act to have stricter gun regulations.
So many lives are in danger because of guns.
So many people are unsafe just walking around their neighborhood.
What if it was your child’s life taken away?
What if it was your life?
What if you couldn't go outside without being aware that your life could be taken at any second?
When will people learn?
If you are deciding whether to get a gun. Think about the consequences.