Before March 2020, we had witnessed a massive number of shootings across the country. It seemed as if there was one every day, and yet, no needed changes had been made to adequately protect one another from these horrific events. As Covid lockdowns became severe, there were close to no shootings in the United States. Sadly, when lockdowns started to lift and people were free to do as they pleased, there was a devastating uprise in mass shootings.

As of May, there have been a total of 180 shootings in 2021.

President Biden has plans to cease gun violence, such as a law to help stop the rapid increase of ‘ghost guns.’ Ghost guns come in kits, so they do not possess serial numbers and untraceable by police. President Biden has taken on gun control in the past, such as the ‘Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act’ which suggested a form of background checks before a firearm purchase and has since kept firearms out of reach for 3 million alarming individuals.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has called out President Biden, for his ‘anti-gun laws’ and claims everything he says about guns is ‘idiotic’.

This past year has been tough on everyone’s mental health, one speculation theorizes a part of the upsurge of shootings could be a result of lockdowns and being stuck at home. This isn’t an explanation for most shootings, but it’s an interesting point to hear.

During these harsh times, we should look out for one another, and protect the people we love.

We shouldn’t be scared every time we go out. We shouldn’t be afraid to enter school. We are all just humans. We shouldn’t live in a constant state of fear, instead, we should be allowed to live and have fun.

This isn’t a debate of Democrats vs Republicans, it’s about protecting each other. Everyone has their own set of opinions, but the most important thing to us should be safety.