To quote Ronald Reagan’s response given during a Presidential debate against Jimmy Carter, “here we go again.” Last Wednesday, a former student of Stoneman Douglas High school returned to the school he had previously been expelled from and opened fire on students, teachers, and faculty, killing 17 people. In any other age, this would have been treated by government leaders as an unacceptable act, requiring immediate legislative action. If this event were to happen in any other country today, the same would be true. However, in our 21st century America, the response was anything but subsitive: the President of the United States responded by offering the same old “thoughts and prayers” to the victims and their families. After all, shootings such as these have become routine.

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The same gushing statements and remarks from local, state, and national leaders have followed nearly every major tragedy in this country. It goes without saying that these remarks do very little to prevent further attacks from occuring. Put simply, the government of the United States has pathetically failed to protect our youth in their own schools, just as they have failed to protect movie goers in Aurora and just as they have failed to protect concertgoers in Las Vegas. When the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001, the U.S. Government responded by creating investigatory agencies, beginning a war, and forever changing the way that Americans travel by airplane. In contrast, nothing has been done to prevent the killings that have taken place on our streets.

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We can no longer tolerate inaction. We can no longer tolerate weak, personal arguments from individuals that insist that the 2nd Amendment cannot be restricted. We can no longer tolerate the phrase “guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” because that sentiment and those like it have prevented our government from being able to take the steps necessary to enact national gun regulation. There is no reason, nor has there ever been a reason, why individuals should have the ability to own semi-automatic or automatic weapons. Call it sport, call it family heritage, call it personal protection- these claims are all ridiculous when seriously considered for even a moment. There are even those that claim that a restriction of the 2nd Amendment would prevent armed uprisings in this country, should a tyrant take power. In this instance, insanity and paranoia is winning out over common sense. Our government needs to shake free from the NRA’s shackles. The gun lobby, for it’s senseless support of an unrestricted 2nd Amendment, is just as guilty as the shooters that have caused so much terror.

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Similarly, strict actions should be taken in the areas of mental health. Our country has, undoubtedly, seen more than our fair share of afflicted individuals. Eliminated by Ronald Reagan, a national bureau on mental health should be reinstated in order to tackle the mental illness epidemic in America. In addition, the death penalty- and the death penalty alone- must be the punishment for those that cause our nation terror.

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The incident last week, while unspeakable, has sparked a new hope in this country. A hope that lawmakers will finally see the need for sensible gun regulation. In this moment, the stakes could not be higher. If this hope is not realized, mass shootings will continue to pervade our nation’s headlines.