“My belief is that we have to enforce the laws we've already got, make sure that we're keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and those who are mentally ill…” -President Barack Obama. The president has touched on the issue of gun control many times. In this quote above, he gives us a plan of action, but it does not seem to be working. Criminals, children, and mentally ill people can get a hold of guns very easily and usually it does not have a happy ending. I believe that the government should make new and more enforced laws on purchasing and using a firearm.

If Gun Control is actually under control, than maybe school shootings would not happen as frequently as it does. In the past 10 years, approximately 110 school shootings have occurred in the United States killing hundreds of students and teachers. Because of this, the topic on Gun Control has been brought up to the public and the government. This topic was brought up when 2 teenagers planted bombs at a school in Virginia Tech and when their bombs did not detonate, they went on a killing spree. They murdered 33 people and injured 23. After this event, it was kind of put aside, not for long though. December 14, 2012. 20 elementary school students and 8 staff members were left dead after 20 year old Adam Lanza went into Sandy Hook Elementary  School and shot everyone in sight, including himself. On top of all that, it was stated after the shooting that Lanza did have mental disabilities  and he was always referred to go to “Special Education” but his family always denied the request. If Gun Control was stricter, maybe these people wouldn’t have gained access to these guns and firearms. Not only because Lanza had mental problems but because he was 21 years old.  Maybe those 7 and 6 year olds wouldn't have been shot to death, maybe none of this would have happened.

Gun Control could also prevent accidental shootings. Up to 100 children die each year because of accidental shootings. Accidental shootings could be a child playing with their parents gun, or a person in the wrong place at the wrong time. One example of an accidental shooting is a 2 year old boy in Arizona who shot himself in the face, not long ago. The firearm was wrapped in sheets “rolled up like a pillow” in his parent’s master bedroom. He was playing while his aunt washed the dishes and his grandmother watched television. When all of a sudden, they heard a gun go off and they immediately called 911. The bullet went right through his face and exited at the back of his head. The boy is “lucky to be alive” says the doctor. He was facing critical to stable conditions on Friday, the day he shot himself. This is one of the many examples of accidental shootings. Luckily this little boy did not die, but many cases dont always turn out to be a happy ending.

Another reason for enforcing Gun Control is simply because people get murdered everyday in the United States. Approximately 16,121 people are murdered each year. 11,208 of those people are murdered by someone with a firearm. One of the thousands of stories about homicides is the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was an unarmed African-American teenager living his ordinary live when he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watcher, George Zimmerman. After the shooting, Zimmerman was taken into custody but then shortly released because he acted in “Self Defense.” Riots where going on across the country, demanding Zimmerman’s arrest. This story brought along the topic of racism and gun control once again. Was it really necessary for neighborhood watcher to shoot an unarmed man? People also questioned what if Zimmerman was a black man and Trayvon a white man? Would this change anything? If gun control was enforced at that time, maybe Zimmerman wouldn't have the right to shoot an unarmed man in self defense. Maybe he wouldn’t even have the right to own a gun. Many murders could have been prevented if gun control was actually in control.

What if someone said “Well, people buy guns to hunt.”

Yes, people do buy guns to hunt, but the guns we see being used in school shootings and murders are not your typical hunting rifle. If people want to hunt, they could ask for permission and may need a special license to be able to purchase a hunting rifle(which would be separate from the other firearms). Hunting is a job people have and I see how gun control can get in the way. But, what's more important? Not enforcing gun control because people hunt, or enforcing gun control to save thousands of lives that could already have been prevented in the past. I don't know about you, but it's not everyday that you see someone hunting with a machine gun. There should be no reason not to enforce gun control.

Let’s suppose that the government does enforce the gun control laws in the country and enforce the laws on buying a firearm, will the problem still be solved? What about the guns that are already out there? Maybe the government could do a gun check. They would send a mandatory survey to all homes and ask straightforward questions if anyone in their household owns a firearm. Criminals, Mentally ill people, or children could still get a hold of firearms. They could steal them or illegally buy guns from others. Gun control is a serious issue in our country and we, the people, have to get our act together and stop it for good. Many lives have been taken due to firearms, and we cannot have more families being destroyed because of having no regulations on purchasing guns.

Works Cited
"2-Year-Old Shoots Self In Face: Accidental Shooting Of Arizona Child Sparks Gun Safety Debate." The Inquisitr News. Inquistr, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

"A Minority of Americans Own Guns, but Just How Many Is Unclear." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 03 June 2013. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Assault or Homicide." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 06 Feb. 2015. Web. 22 May 2015.

Katersky, Aaron, and Susanna Kim. "5 Disturbing Things We Learned Today About Sandy Hook Shooter Adam Lanza." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

"List of School Shootings in the United States." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.

"Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.
"Virginia Tech Shootings Fast Facts - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 22 May 2015.