How Many Mass Shootings is Enough?

Last year, the police office at my school came into my Spanish class and taught us what to do if there was ever to be a school shooting. You hear it on the news, "many wounded in mass shooting". Whether it be at a movie theater, a community building or an elementary school, it's still traumatizing.

Last night, when I got home from teaching five year-olds how to be big siblings, I turned on the news to heard about the San Bernardino shooting. Fourteen people were killed and another seventeen while they were supposed to be attending a holiday work event. A happy and exciting party turned traumatic and extremely sad in a matter of seconds.

Last week there was the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting. The shooter, 57 year old Robert Bear was believed to be motivated by pro-life and anti-abortion political views. These beliefs do not give him any right to walk into a health clinic and open fire. Killing a police officer and terrorizing women who were solely seeking health care. Ironically enough, Bear targeted the clinic with anti-abortion motives and no abortions were performed at this clinic. This specific Planned Parenthood clinic was solely used to provide women with counseling and certain medical services like birth control and STD screenings.

There have been 355 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. 355 mass shootings in 337 days. That's horrific and heart-wrenching. While watching the news last night, they shared a father's story. His daughter was in the community center during the San Bernardino shooting. His daughter had texted him saying there was a shooter in the building, that she loved him and wanted him to pray for her and the other victims in the building. This man broke down in tears because he daughter was safe. Tears of joy, celebrating the fact that his daughter will be coming home for Christmas, but tears of sadness for the families of the victims who were killed, they will never hear their son or daughters voice again.

Mass shootings are horrific events that need to be controlled, and can easily be reduced with some gun control. This may be controversial, I'm not bashing the second amendment, but I think there should be more control. More check-ups and re-screenings of gun owners to ensure they are still mentally and physically able to own and shoot a gun. That's my two cents, but I think we can all agree mass shootings need to come to an end.

stay peaceful (and thankful for your beautiful life)!!