CCHS recently hosted its annual Peace Pole Ceremony, proving once more that in the darkest moments of human existence, should the many people of the world cling to the concept of a brighter future, they may very well succeed in sparking a movement. The event itself appeared to resonate with the audience since it took place immediately after a shooting in that occurred in a church in Texas.
Religious affiliations aside, this event rocked the nation in a way that has become almost familiar to any individual in the U.S. who has ever experienced any atrocity associated with terrorism. In truth, this should be considered an act of terrorism, one which should be questioned and analyzed for sake of finding a solution. For sake of all future massacres, it is imperative that the U.S. come to some conclusion that would prevent any more acts of violence that could further deface the face of humanity.
The shooting lasted roughly seven minutes. In that time span, the lives of an entire community were altered for what has proven to be a mini-eternity.
According to the New York Times, the gunman entered a Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on the morning of November 5, killing 26 individuals and wounding another 20 in the process. The shooting lasted roughly seven minutes. In that time span, the lives of an entire community were altered for what has proven to be a mini-eternity.
Sutherland Springs is a small town like many of those one might find scattered across the country. At this point in time, it seems tragedy is something which no one is exempt from in this nation. The fact of the matter is that, at the heart of many of these situations, guns are seen as a major proponent of these situations which are often lead by individuals who possess arms.
The U.S. has consistently witnessed acts of violence which have occurred as a result of crazed gunmen, such as the shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport or the Pulse nightclub shooting. Despite having reformed gun laws and regulations, the U.S. wages war time and time again to defend or reject guns.
Republicans and various members of the GOP preach their necessity while liberals condemn their existence within American society. These differing opinions often cause uproar and general animosity between the two parties.
“In saying that guns are what harm people, it seems like an argument which is akin to the statement ‘utensils made me fat,’” senior Austin Camblin said.
In an interview, Camblin effectively stated that it seems ludicrous to phase out guns all together when there are so many more ways to either make or purchase weapons across the whole of the U.S.
“I mean with the Vegas shooting, the gunman made a semi automatic weapon out of another gun,” Camblin said. “In the case of the Sutherland Springs shooting, the only reason that the gunman had the ability to purchase a gun was because of faulty paperwork on part of the Air Force. The issue isn’t guns themselves but regulation.”
“The issue isn’t guns themselves but regulation.”
Guns actually helped the situation in Sutherland Springs, as the gunman was chased off by a past NRA member who had arms of their own.
On other hand, you have the liberal standpoint which attempts to state that guns are vile and unnecessary, something which kills rather than helps the killing. To a certain extent, the Democratic party isn’t incorrect: the current laws desperately require reform.
“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have war or anything of the sort,” junior Julia Oldershaw said. “By extension we wouldn’t need guns or weaponry. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world. Guns are a commodity that can’t simply be eradicated.”
The truth of the matter is that tragedies cannot simply be prevented by eradicating guns all together, but rather they can be prevented in regulating the manner in which guns are dolled out.
“If you put a gun on a table, it won’t hurt anyone,” senior Joania Hernandez said. “If you put it in the hands of someone who has malicious intent, you get a tragedy.”
When presented with the option to regulate or to totally eradicate, it seems illogical to assume that the nation could be purged of all its guns and arms. The only reasonable solution to this epidemic would be to instead reform our gun laws and regulations so as to tighten the screening process to protect our people rather than impeded upon our rights.
“If you put a gun on a table, it won’t hurt anyone. If you put it in the hands of someone who has malicious intent, you get a tragedy.”
The solution to this issue as is the solution to any issue is introspection. The issue is not the guns themselves but the people who have been allowed to possess them. Constitutionally speaking, any individual in the nation is automatically given the right to bear arms. However, upon further inspection, it becomes obvious that the right to bear arms is something which was only allotted in order to protect the state. The irony is this truth.
Guns were only seen as a necessity in order to protect but they’ve become a fantastic device to kill and, for that, it seems improper to watch as the tragedies of today unfurl in rapid succession. In order to combat this, it seems fitting to further reform gun control, something which would preserve the lives of many, and, in preserving the lives of the general public, it would satisfy the agendas of both parties.
Photo by Lariat photography
