Gun ownership has always been a controversial issue. But why does it take a mass shooting for people to wake up and realize that guns are overall not beneficial and should not be given to just anybody? There have been 18 school shootings in 2018 in America. According to businessinsider.com, the state of Florida doesn’t require fingerprints, a special permit, or a waiting period to buy a gun. Australia hasn’t had a mass shooting since 1996, when 35 people were killed by a semi-automatic weapon and the government swept strict gun control laws over the country. Just a couple of simple laws would suffice, but instead, America chooses to allow easy gun possession in exchange for lives.

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.” People have taken the freedom of this country too far. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that citizens have the right to own weapons just to kill. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that guns are to be used for purposes other than defense. Our Founding Fathers did not add this amendment so that we can twist their words and let anybody own a gun. We’ve seen the effects of Sandy Hook and now Parkland, yet nothing has been done to change these laws. How many more lives must we lose to prove that there have be restrictions?

An anonymous post, written by a mom on Facebook after news of the shooting came out, explains how the woman’s daughter came home from school, asking for new shoes. Not because kids at school were bullying her about her shoes, but because she was afraid that during a shooter drill, the glow from her light-up Sketchers would give away her location. That girl is eight years old. When I was an eight year old, my biggest worry was choosing the flavor of cookie cake I would bring to school for my birthday. When a child’s worry is more relevant than the president’s, this is a little alarming. Our so-called “President” Donald Trump was brazenly spotted at a golf course in Florida on Monday, which was only an hour away from the funerals of the victims of the Parkland shooting. As an American, I’m embarrassed to say that the leader of my country was leisurely golfing while the families and friends of the 17 victims were grieving over the loss of their students and teachers just a few towns away.

That’s heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/d7E2ERawvN

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) February 16, 2018

There is a video that went viral last year, where a little girl is crying tears of happiness after receiving a gun as a present. A brand new 86 Silver Pigeon, all to herself. No child should be happy to be getting this as a present, or wishing for it in the first place, whether it’s out of fear or just pure excitement of owning a gun. The current gun laws make these weapons far too accessible to the public. Trusting any person with a gun is just as gullible as trusting a child with it.

There need to be changes for there to be change. Republicans who say the shooting was unfortunate but are advocates for teachers owning guns are just wasting their breath. Instead of making gun laws stricter, they are loosening them by offering teachers—most of whom can’t even figure out how to make a YouTube video full screen without skipping to the end—weapons to “protect” the children. These adults are around students all day. In the end, one’s true intentions cannot be determined. I’m not saying that all teachers have bad thoughts of hurting their students, but a human’s mind can change at anytime. If teachers at our school were to be armed with guns, I know that I would not be the only student who would feel unsafe. Not because we don’t trust our beloved teachers, but because we would be scared if anybody at school had a gun. What President Trump thinks will be the solution to all unjustified weapon usage will just lead to more and more issues and deaths.

There have already been too many lives lost for this issue to keep going on. Every single shooting that occurs is a wake up call that Trump and the Republicans keep ignoring. Until stricter gun laws are fully implemented, there will be no security and we, the people, will continue to feel unsafe. Until the deaths of the victims of the Parkland shooting are justified, there will be instability. Until there is change, we will keep fighting for the right cause.