Each year, in the United States, there are about 100,000 gun related injuries, 33,000 of these are fatal. Of these 33,000 deaths, only about 250 are classified as justifiable homicide, or a death that involved an individual protecting his or herself. This means that only 0.0075% of gun related deaths in this country are considered self-defense. Yet, despite the facts, it remains all too easy to acquire a firearm in our country. This issue has recently been brought back to the limelight due to the tragedy that occurred in Las Vegas just a few weeks ago. It was the largest mass shooting in our nation’s history, with 59 lives lost and over 525 people injured. One of the most disturbing aspects of the shooting was that it was done by a single man in only about twenty minutes. How is it feasible that a random United States citizen is able to acquire enough weaponry — nearly forty firearms, according to news reports — to commit this atrocity? When the facts are examined, it becomes perfectly clear that our nation has a gun problem. It becomes clear that firearms are not mainly used for protection, and it becomes clear that something must change.

Current gun control laws are extremely inefficient and vary drastically from state to state, making it nearly impossible to enforce regulations against the transportation of guns across state lines. So, states with lenient firearm purchasing laws allow guns to disperse freely across the country. In 36 states, there are no legal requirements to buy a gun. This means that, besides felons and those with certain mental illnesses, anyone can purchase a firearm. This clearly flawed system is the root of the gun problem faced by the United States. With tens of thousands of Americans dying every year due to firearms, it is absurd that getting a gun is this easy.

Of course, there are those who argue that there is no “gun problem”. The saying that is often repeated is “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.” In fact, people with easy access to guns kill people, and that is precisely the point of gun control advocates. Loopholes need to be closed in the purchase of firearms so that the people most likely to accidentally or intentionally kill with a gun — felons, the mentally ill, and those of “watch lists” — cannot easily acquire a method with which to kill.

There has been quite a bit of reluctance on the part of the federal government to make an attempt to reform
gun control, despite tragedy after tragedy. In the wake of a mass shooting, most politicians send out their prayers and thoughts to the victims and their families. At what point, however, do these sentiments become just meaningless rhetoric? In addition to condolences, there must be action. Unfortunately, lobbyists make it a little too tempting for politicians, who need campaign cash, to choose to do the lucrative thing over the right thing. The NRA has contributed millions of dollars to the campaigns of congressmen. Since many politicians represent geographic areas where hunting and gun ownership is more of a way of life than just a pasttime, there is a large incentive to oppose stricter gun control regulations. The combination of a desire for a political popularity, and lobbying from the NRA has made it extremely difficult for any new, stricter regulations on gun control to get through Congress. Legislators that­­­­­ refuse to allow for stricter gun control laws are doing so for mainly selfish motives, and this is simply despicable. These politicians are aware of the devastating effects that guns have on our nation each year, yet they choose personal gain over doing what is right.

With no clear solution in sight, the gun control issue in America will remain a hotly debated topic. But that raises the question, what will it take to change our gun laws? If nearly six hundred US citizens being shot in a single mass shooting won’t inspire action in our government’s policies on gun control, what will? Of course, this same question was posed when 26 victims died in Newtown, most of them under the age of seven. Faced with numbers like these, thoughts and prayers alone become meaningless. We must do something that will actually bring a stop to these tragedies. The flawed firearm sales system in our country must be altered, and made much stricter, or this issue will never be resolved.