In the wake of the tragic massacre that occurred in Las Vegas Oct. 1, the gun control argument was brought to the forefront of the nation once again, as it is normally done when these kinds of events happen.
What will be the next step the country will take in order to prevent another mass shooting? Gun control. Regulations, everything that hasn’t been done enough already.
CNN reports that in the United States, people have a greater chance of dying in mass shootings if they’re at work or at school.
According to a study by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “eight states now have laws that generally allow individuals who can legally carry guns elsewhere to bring guns onto college campuses.” Aside from that, the research also found that “a number of additional states considered new laws relevant to carrying firearms on college campuses during their 2015-2016 legislative sessions.”
Considering the political climate we are in today, what can the next few years look like in terms of gun regulations?
In Chico State’s System Policies and Regulations, Title 5 states that “possession or misuse of firearms or guns, replicas, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, knives, other weapons, or dangerous chemicals on campus or at a University related activity” is prohibited on campus or any campus-related event, but is this enough?
Back in 2014, the University of Santa Barbara experienced a tragic incident that would leave their campus mourning for the loss of six individual lives. According to LA Times, the father of the victim has “canvassed the country advocating for stricter regulations on firearms.” Richard Martinez, the father, stated: “I’ve been a Democrat all my life, but I will go campaign for a Republican if they step up on this issue.”
The shooter at UCSB, Elliot Rodger, was able to legally purchase two Sig Sauer p226 model handguns and a Glock 34. These guns were purchased from federally licensed dealers and were registered to Rodger, reported by LA Times.
Rodger had indicated troubling signs of mental health issues, Washington Post reports. He should never have been able to buy a gun, but maybe having a certain skin complexion helped him out a bit, but I digress.
The mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas might not have been at a University, and neither was the Pulse club shooting in Orlando, but many of these tragedies can hit hard back home in so many ways. The killing rampage Rodger went on at UCSB might not have been Chico State, but it could have been.
Gun control is so prevalent in today’s political conversations. How many more mass shootings and deaths must the country go through before realizing that the government must step in to help prevent such tragic events?
This needs to be addressed now, but it isn’t. Trump doesn’t seem like he’s going to address this at all but instead go after Puerto Rico on another one of his Twitter rants. It’s disgusting and shameful, America.
Rachel Reyes can be reached at [email protected] or @rachhreyes on Twitter.
