Sandy Hooks, Columbine, Aurora Movie Theatre and Las Vegas. All of these places have one thing in common. Multiple lives ended by an active shooter.

This year, there have been so many tragedies involving the abuse of high powered weaponry that, as a country, we need to address. Weapons that are usually found in the hands of law enforcement have been found in the homes of domestic terrorists. Military grade rifles should not be in the possession of civilians. Especially those who present a clear and present danger to themselves and others.

Amongst all of the outrage over the accessibility of guns, I always hear one argument. “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” I then wonder why this country is offering the tools for those certain people to do so.

At a time like this it is apparent that this country needs more strict gun laws, so we can keep people safe and avoid tragedies like the ones we’ve had to live through recently.

It seems that after every mass shooting, gun control acts are discussed but never followed through. It’s as if after a short period of time people forget about the horrid event and move on. I don’t want to wait for another incident to occur for reforms to be put into place.

The more disasters we witness, the more desensitized we become.

The purpose of gun control is to provide support to law enforcement in the fight against senseless violence, not put any burdens on law abiding citizens. Those who have guns and are responsible with them, such as licensed hunters, want others to be just as safe and to be held accountable for any infractions.

I think that the fact that children participate in lockdown drills in schools in case of active shooters is telling of the condition our country is in. We know this is an issue but refuse to follow through on solutions or compromises.

No matter how uncomfortable or controversial this issue is, we need to stop deflecting and confront it.