By Manasi Prasad
September 10, 2023
“Manasi. There’s a shooter at UNC.”
“They haven’t caught the shooter yet”
“Yeah, she’s safe… for now”
When will this stop?
People are dying.
Our friends, family.
Gun violence is a major issue that has plagued us for decades, yet, as a society, we have not taken much action to solve it.
“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.”
To think that that one sentence has killed over 25,198 people in this year alone.
When the Bill of Rights was written over two centuries ago, none of the writers expected gun violence to become as great an issue as it is today. The second amendment was made to protect a scared people against the tyranny of a new centralized government, one that mirrored far too well the oppressive Britain that they had just won independence from. “Arms” at the time were not weapons of great destruction. They were not being used to put innocent civilians in danger.
Many things have evolved since 1789. America is in no way the same place. So, why are we holding on to such an old “right” and ideal? Why not just ban guns altogether?
“Guns protect us.”
Is this even true? When so many are dying unfair, painful deaths because of guns? When there have been countless mass shootings and murders?
So, fight fire with fire, right? Just arm everyone! For a second, imagine a group of teenagers, barely out of high school, sitting in a classroom, scared. With guns. Even with such weapons, is defense possible before someone is injured? Now, imagine those same people, at a party, drunk. With guns. Humans are unpredictable and our behavior unreliable in the first place, but under the influence of fear or alcohol? This is a recipe for disaster. It will perpetuate a cycle of violence. Is that what we want our future to be like? Violence answered with more violence?
But, guns are not the problem, it is the people using them, correct? Then, how do we fix other human beings? Can we control others? Is it possible to just… get rid of all criminals? No. People who wish harm on others will always exist and have always existed. They will not just disappear. But the tools we give these people are within our control. If we choose to equip them with guns, we can choose to remove their access to guns.
People will always find a way to hurt others, but we can make it harder for them to do so. Guns were made to kill. They were made for death. They were made for war. Kill. Death. War.
The people dying are not soldiers. They did not sign up to fight this war. They are children, grandparents, and students. They are our mentors, our best friends, our family. They are toddlers who barely know how to talk. They are the past, present, and future of humanity. How do we just let all of this die?
I’m almost too scared to write this–to think that other people may judge me for my ideas. But, this is how I feel. I’m scared. I’m angry. I’m tired. And I’m not too scared to say it. This is from my heart; it is not about grammar and it is not about a grade. Society has put us in this place where we’re too scared to even share our voices- too scared to ask to be heard. We’re constantly being criticized for our actions and thoughts. Still, we must speak up, no matter which side of the argument we’re on. We deserve to be heard. We’re the future. The next line of leaders. The next line of teachers. The next line of citizens. It’s on us to figure out what to do. So, raise your voice and let your opinion be heard. It’s on us to create our future, together.