The Daily Tar Heel
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The Daily Tar Heel

Opinion: People, not gun control are the main problem

The problem is not gun control; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

There is a gun problem in America.

Regardless of your opinions towards gun control, or whether or not you have a handgun in your bedside dresser, this is a fact. There is a problem.

9 people were killed for going to church.

12 were killed for going to a movie.

20 children were killed for going to school.

32 people were killed for being on a college campus.

49 people were killed for enjoying a night out.

What’s next? 70 people shot and killed for going grocery shopping?

To put this into perspective, our staff at The Daily Tar Heel has been alive for three of the top five mass shootings our country has ever seen — and to top it off , the three deadliest (Orlando, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook) have occurred within the past ten years.

If, at this point, you do not understand the need for gun control the problem is your attitude about the problem.

If your attitude is “oh, well it sucks that people died but there’s the second amendment to think about and protect,” you are a part of the problem. If you fall into this category, consider this: you or someone you love is tragically caught in the next mass shooting. What do you think your first thought will be?

It can be guaranteed that your first thought will not be about the second amendment. You would wonder who would commit such a crime and why they had access to weaponry. You would regret each status you posted and tweet you sent out condemning those who believe in stricter gun control. You would probably ask and potentially blame yourself for putting yourself in that position, even if it was one of most mundane activities.

You should want, and fight for there to be stricter gun control because at the rate were going, it is only a matter of time before the next shooting will be closer to home.

The problem is no longer in the guns. You and your attitude are the problem.

If this weekend’s tragic events did not challenge you to truly evaluate the repercussions of the current state of gun control, you are a part of the problem.

You think it won’t happen to you. You think that, because you want to have a gun, others taking advantage of that right doesn’t pose a threat.

How much are you willing to risk in the name of the second amendment? At this rate, it is only a matter of time before it hits closer to home.

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