The U.S. Constitution was written exactly 230 years ago. That is how old and outdated the Second Amendment is. And 230 years down the line, we have used and abused the right to bear arms time and time again.

Three people lose their lives to gun violence every hour in America. If the United States were to put in place stricter gun laws, there would be less murders, mass murders, school shootings, gun violence against police and city streets would be much, much safer.

Unfortunately, these are dark times for gun control laws and regulation. Donald Trump, who is a self-proclaimed National Rifle Association supporter, has previously stated his support for the right to bear arms and has even gone as far to say that he will remove gun-free zones, such as schools and public businesses.

President Trump also ran his campaign with the promise of a national right-to-carry act, meaning all people of gun-carrying age would have the right to carry a concealed gun anywhere at all times.  

In my complete and honest opinion, there is no need for guns so long as other guns or weapons aren’t present. Who needs or wants to bring a gun to school for any reason other than violence? Who needs to bring a gun everywhere they go? The purpose of having a gun is for protection, and in a world without guns, there would be no reason at its presence. 

While people may argue that they want guns for protection, the bigger picture is that guns are used for violence against others. Sandy Hook, Pulse night club, Columbine, Virginia Tech, San Bernardino, Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood — the list goes on and on. Whether perpetrated by the mentally ill, terrorists or influenced by violent media, these shootings happened. These shootings took the lives of hundreds of innocent people. These shootings could have been prevented.

I understand that there are people who say that they feel they need the protection of a gun in order to stay safe on a daily basis. Some neighborhoods are like that. I have the privilege of not knowing what that is like. It is unfortunate that there are situations like those that leave people resorting to guns in order to protect themselves and their families.

However, these guns are often misused from their original purpose and can become deadly, instead of simply intimidating. In 2010 alone, there were 606 deaths due to unintentional firearm injuries. Approximately eight percent of all accidental firearm deaths are caused by shots fired by the hands of children under the age of six. Yes, I said shooting deaths. Caused by toddlers. 

Furthermore, guns are used in approximately fifty percent of all suicides and result in sixty-two percent of all gun deaths, while guns are used in sixty-eight percent of all homicides. If guns weren’t so easily accessible to us, there would arguably be less suicides and homicides.

The reality is that people are hurting themselves and others with guns, so why would we want more out on the streets? Guns can and do fall into the wrong hands — whether someone who is intending to use them for violence on others or themselves, or even the hands of a child.

Unless America can recognize the necessity for stricter gun control laws, violence will continue to prosper. Loose gun laws such as those supported by President Trump and his fellow republicans will only continue to worsen the problem and breed more violence in our country. We should not be so desensitized to hearing about mass shootings, and children being shot on their way home from school. A violence-obsessed society is not want we want.