It has been five years since the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary took place. Following one of the most upsetting occurrences in our nation, there was a surplus of new gun laws, most of which made it easier to carry or purchase guns.

Now, the problem with guns in America is how backwards our priorities are. On average, 93 people in America die daily from guns, our gun related death rate is higher than any other country, and we have a mass shooting every two months.

Yet, the infamous second amendment constitutes our right to bear arms. If so many Americans are victim to these heinous crimes involving guns, why are we constantly trying to protect our right to own them?

British journalist Dan Hodges for The Daily Mail tweeted in 2015 “In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over,” although the tweet didn’t go viral until after the terrorist attack on Las Vegas Oct. 1.

Almost 30 children died due to the accessibility of guns and the solution to fix that was simple to legislature: make guns easier to access.
At least 59 people were killed in Las Vegas by guns, and even though Stephen Paddock acquired those guns illegally, this isn’t the first mass shooting, in fact it is one of 278 this year.

So far this year, there has been 11,959 gun-related deaths in the U.S., and the year isn’t even over yet.

If that number doesn’t raise some questions and concerns, I don’t know what will.

Guns kill people. Yes, there are people behind the trigger, but that doesn’t mean guns aren’t to blame as well.

We need to work on keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.

It can start small, if it needs to be. Required background checks. No open-carry permits.

People can flash their rifles and pistols all they want.

But when push comes to shove and people they love are dying at the barrel of a gun and pull of a trigger, a cautionary tale becomes a reality and gun control is necessary.