FRANKIE SPEAKING

Prioritize Gun Reform Now

Welcome to Frankie Speaking. Every month, my column will express my side on any given political issue. Since this is my opinion, the views written do not reflect those of The Prowl publication as a whole.
Frankly, the longer a problem festers, the more severe it will become. Gun law reform must be a priority within the administration. The largest mass shooting in U.S. history occurred in Las Vegas just last week, where fifty-eight lives were lost, and no one in the White House seems to care that the shooter purchased 33 firearms in the past year. This is unacceptable that no red flags were raised. A blind eye cannot be turned to the simplistic accessibility of buying a gun. Despite the NRA’s superiority complex, they need to stop advocating for such a large-scale usage of firearms because deaths will continue to occur. The blood of victims is indirectly on their hands for pushing their murderous agenda.
School shootings in the United States began occurring as early as the 1760’s and have continued all the way up until a few weeks ago, with Freeman High School in Freeman, Washington, where a sophomore fatally shot one student and injured three others. This country has a  history of violence incited within educational institutions.  
While I do believe in the second amendment, I do not believe in people abusing this right for malicious intent in school environments. Children should be able to receive an education without fearing for their lives. This issue is not isolated to other regions. Last year, an armed student nonchalantly ambled into Coral Springs High School’s cafeteria, and J.P. Taravella enforced code red for numerous hours and evacuated due to the potential shooter. How many more students must be put at risk before the federal administration alters policies to limit the usage of guns?
Obtaining a firearm without undergoing the proper screening process is more simple than the general public might think. Only 60 percent of gun owners in the United States have undergone the standard FBI background check, also known as the Brady Background check, to prove that they have the physical and mental faculties to use the weapon safely. This occurs because these mandatory screenings are not enforced on internet gun sales or at private gun shows. Currently pending among the House of Representatives, the legislation HR 3411 would legally expand the Brady Background checks to the other 40 percent of gun owners. Twenty percent of mass shootings are committed by illegally purchased guns. While this is the minority, a substantial amount of lives could be protected if this law passed.
Furthermore, negligent parents who keep guns in their houses need to learn to keep them away from their children. The Sandy Hook shooter obtained the rifle from his gun-enthusiast mother’s house because she did not lock it up properly. While the weapon was legally purchased, the murderer was still able to kill his mother and 26 others, mostly children. Necessary gun storage laws do exist, but clearly people to not abide to the proper standards if they are able to be misused in this manner.
The whole issue would also cease to be significant if fewer guns were in circulation. I do not believe that they should be prohibited; however, after the 1996 massacre in Australia, the government severely constricted the types of firearms people could own, and there has not been a mass shooting since this regulation.
When the National Rifle Association spent more than $21 million on President Trump’s campaign, it proves incontrovertible that he will do as little as possible to tighten gun control laws. I call upon the President and Congress to work together to pass the necessary legislation to protect its citizens. No more should be injured or killed because of governmental incompetence to agree upon a policy.