The debate over gun control and school shootings

With the recent school shooting in Broward County, Florida there has been a big debate over gun control and gun safety. The spark of the debate has been brewing the past few years; with this recent shooting, it has just boiled over.

19-year-old Nikolas Cruz walked into Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and opened fire killing seventeen people. The shooter was carrying an AR-15 automatic assault rifle. He was 19 years old and had access to a military used weapon. The AR-15 sparked controversy in 2012 when the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was the choice of weapon to kill innocent children.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 239 school shootings across the country. Based on their data 16 of the 239 shootings have been classified as mass shootings. To be listed as a mass shooting four or more people have been shot.

The big debate now is how do we stop this. We have people who want stricter gun control and laws. Then we have the people who blame the ones carrying the guns and goes back to the Second Amendment which gives the rights to individuals to bear arms.

What can we as individuals do to stop gun violence?  For example Dick’s Sporting Goods have removed the assault style rifles from their stocks. This is just one step to achieving the goal of gun control. This shows that we can make a difference in this world one step at a time.