America has long been at the top of the list when it comes to what country has the highest annual number of school shootings. In fact, most countries have none. Year after year, thousands of kids encounter gun violence while on campuses, and in the blink of an eye, a place meant to educate and cultivate creativity can shift into a warzone. It often seems as if no significant change has been made to prevent these incidents from occurring, which prompts the question: is our government really doing everything in their power to prevent school shootings?

   To understand America’s gun laws and the role they play in mass shootings, one must first understand who implements them. According to an analytical report on mass shootings, “State governments are the primary regulators of firearms. Federal laws establish a minimum level of gun control, which is augmented to varying degrees by state and local policies” (hbs.edu). So, while Congress has established rudimentary laws regarding gun-control, it is currently left up to the state legislatures to decide on whether or not they would like to create additional gun policies. So why has Congress not taken it upon themselves to amend the current federal gun laws that are set in place? 

   Well, according to Political Scientist Monika Mcdermontt, “This isn’t something that people are clamoring for, and there are so many other things in the mix that people are much more concerned about right now… so those kinds of things top gun control legislation in terms of priorities for the public” (theconversation.com). While it may be true that gun-violence doesn’t currently rank number one on the list of concerns of the American people, citizens are growing increasingly worried about the possibility of school-shootings. According to the Pew Research Center, “roughly a third (32 percent) of parents of children in K-12 schools say they are very or extremely worried about a shooting ever happening at their children’s school” (pewresearch.org). Polls may show the public is preoccupied with issues such as the national budget deficit and housing crisis; however, that should not serve as an excuse for Congress to hold off on passing laws that could mean the difference between life and death for many individuals.

   Policies that further restrict who is able to access and own fire-arms have the potential to decrease the number of school shootings. According to the World Population Review, “Research suggests the primary factor contributing to the frequency of school shootings in the United States is the prevalence and availability of guns. While several other factors contribute to one becoming a school shooter, the ability to obtain a weapon is more common here than anywhere else” (worldpopulationreview.com). By making it federal law for citizens to complete a training course addressing how to properly store and handle firearms, requiring firearm dealerships to conduct thorough background checks of their customers, and limiting what guns can be sold at a commercial level, Congress could effectively decrease not only the number of school shootings, but the overall rate of gun violence across America. While some misguidedly believe that stricter gun laws infringes upon the right to bear arms, the truth is that increased regulation of who can bear arms does in no way violates the Second Amendment.

   Senior Espi Thode said, “I do not believe stricter gun laws would breach the right to bear arms. The drinking age was only raised to the age of 21 due to the amount of accidents caused by drunk driving. Because guns have also been the cause of innumerable deaths, it would make sense to only permit citizens above the age of 21 to be gun owners. The constitution speaks about the right of the people to bear arms not being infringed. It does not speak about the right of people to hold onto military weapons. In my personal belief, regular citizens should be banned from having access to specialty items created for military use, but still should have access to their right to bear arms.” No one needs a military grade weapon who is not at war.

   It’s not surprising that state gun laws tend to change after mass shootings. It is however shocking that these changes occasionally increase the ease with which one can access a gun rather than decrease it. “When there is a Republican-controlled legislature, mass shootings lead to more firearm laws that loosen gun control. Our point estimates indicate that a mass shooting in the previous year increases the number of enacted laws that loosen gun restrictions by 115 percent in states with Republican-controlled legislatures. When there is a Democrat-controlled legislature, mass shootings lead to a statistically insignificant reduction in laws that loosen gun control” (hbs.edu). It looks like neither party is doing what needs to be done.

    With a rise in school shootings throughout the decades, it is important to recognize that our government has the power to implement laws that could decrease these incidents, and that it is the responsibility of the American people to push for such laws to be enacted.