My Opinion Story

On February 14th, 2018, Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida was involved in a school shooting. Nikolas Cruz, a former student of the school, brought a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle into the high school and shot at the students and staff, killing 17 and seriously injuring 14 others.

This is just one of hundreds of public shootings that have happened in America over the last 5 years. I think that none of this would have happened if American citizens weren’t allowed to have semi-automatic weapons at their disposal.

The current gun laws in America state that, in order to legally buy a handgun, you must be 21 years old, but to buy a “long gun” which includes rifles, the age minimum is only 18. Since the Florida shooter was 19, he legally bought the weapon used to kill innocent students and staff. I think that the first step to creating a safer environment, not only at schools but in the entire country, would be to raise the age minimum to at least 21.

A better idea would be to entirely outlaw “long guns” for public use. The only people that need these “long guns” is the military. There is absolutely no reason that regular citizens need semi-automatic weapons. If you’re using a gun to protect yourself from other people, a handgun is adequate. No one needs a semi-automatic weapon for “protection”.

Statistics show that more than half of the weapons used in mass shootings in America over the past 20 years are semi-automatic weapons. The other half used handguns. By retracting “long guns” from public use, the number of public shootings in America could be cut in half.

Another way we could help reduce the number of shootings is making guns harder to get. If an 18 year old wanted to get a gun today, they could go to any store like Walmart, or a gun show. Then, they would have to fill out a form which requires their name, date of birth, and citizenship. They then answer questions like, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony,” and the form is then sent to the FBI where they do a background check which can take less than a minute. Then you are off to do whatever you want with your gun. Does this seem right to you?

I don’t think it should be that easy. I think anyone who wants to buy a gun must see a mental health expert to see if they can handle having a gun. I think they should have to have a thorough background check, meaning it can take over a week to finish.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. We have the right to bear arms so the government can’t just take away our weapons. Well, hand guns should still be available to the public, only the “long guns” should be outlawed.

Finally, I think anyone wanting to buy a gun should have to take at least two weeks of a gun safety class so they can learn how to safely use and store their gun. If this were the case, who knows how many people would still be alive.

In conclusion, I think that “long guns” must be outlawed for public use and that handguns must be much harder to get than they are now. This is not a violation of our second amendment, and people’s lives may be saved in the process.