Let's Dodge a Bullet

There are so many people in our world. So many good people we'll never get the chance to know. So many bad people we're blessed never to encounter. Everyone has their own story. Good or evil everyone has a story. Nothing lasts forever. We all know this and try our best to accept it. Death is a scary thing because it's made out to be. We spend our entire lives fixated on the things that may end it. It's natural. That's why it's feared, if it's natural, it's bound to happen. Eat healthily, wear a seatbelt, and don't do drugs. All messages we promote to our youth because of our fear of death. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these are bad things. In fact, I completely agree and would promote these things. But, if we are trying so hard to avoid death, then how come we can't make simple laws to steer clear of it?

Most people know about the controversy of gun laws in the United States of America. Some support guns, some don't, some are somewhere in between, and some don't know what to think. I'll tell you one thing, if your loved one died due to a mass shooting, you'd know exactly what to think. Why is it that the cosmetics industry makes $511 billion a year selling products to people that want to appear younger, people that want to appear farther from death, yet they don't care about the lives at risk? The cold hard truth is that we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but if history does repeat itself then there's a chance you won't be here because the government doesn't care enough to put laws in place that complicate the simplicity of buying a semiautomatic. What use does a gun that has a rate of fire at 600-900 RPM do? You can't use it for hunting. You don't need something like that for self-defense. The only reason a person may buy one is to shoot. Shoot people. Children, adults, innocent, undeserving, unsuspecting people. Why should I, a fourteen-year-old freshman, have to be afraid to go to school each day? Hearing the horror stories, practicing lockdown drills, and seeing the statistics. But the stories are true, the lockdowns are necessary in today's society, and the statistics aren't just numbers on paper. Why can I see that this is a real issue? Why am I spending time writing this article? If we lived in a world where people valued each other's lives, where gun laws were stricter, and mental health was a priority, I wouldn't have to sit here at my computer typing this article people will probably never read. I wouldn't have to lay in bed awake at night fearing and praying that my next day in school wouldn't be my last. I wouldn't have to have those dark thoughts lurking at the back of my mind as I say goodbye to my kid brother. Why should I feel responsible? Like if I don't give my opinion, my young thoughtful opinion, then it's partially on my shoulders when the world closes for a minute after those lives have been lost. People in power, you were elected by your people. People like you. So why can't you see that this is more important than money, fame, or power? Why don't you understand that this is a priority? The system is broken. I can't sit here and wait for you to fix it. One day all of your responsibility will be passed down to my generation. Yet you don't care enough to listen to us. Make better laws, better restrictions. The constitution gives the right to bear arms. But it's also spoken as "we the people". We are the people. And the people are being harmed by your ignorance and laziness. Some of the biggest and greatest activists in history were killed by gunfire. Children with the potential to grow up into amazing politicians, activits, entrepreneurs, and doctors have been killed in recent times by heavy bullet lead. Their deaths should not go ignored just because it's easier said than done. If you stand with semiautomatic rifles, then you stand with murder. Stand up for what's right. Let them hear your voice. We the people need it now.