Dear Editor,

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants Americans the right to bear arms, however; President Joe Biden had proposed restrictions on the accessibility of firearms in early 2021. With these restrictions there’s help to stop proliferation of “ghost guns,” to use the “red flag” law, and issuing reports on firearm trafficking annually. These restrictions are targeting the gun violence that has led to rising murder rates in the U.S., especially within black and brown lives (communities?. “The President is committed to taking actions to reduce all forms of gun violence – community violence, mass shooting, domestic violence, and suicide by firearm,” as explained in FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Initial Actions to Address the Gun Violence Public Health Epidemic. (link is ok here)

According to surveys done by the Pew Research Center from June 2021 have proven that in the U.S. 30% of people personally own a gun and most people’s reasoning for wanting to own a firearm is for personal protection. Around half of the population view gun violence as an issue in the U.S., but this also differs depending on race, ethnicity, and the community they’re from. 82% of Black adults believe gun violence is a major issue, 58% of Hispanic adults believe this too, and 39% White adults think this way. There’s also the comparison in favoring expansive gun access between rural and urban areas. 71% of rural Republicans do favor school officials to have access to a firearm in K-12 schools. Meanwhile, 56% of Republicans living in urban areas favor this. Then with banning assault-style weapons is 51% of Republicans in urban areas favoring this and 31% of Republicans in rural areas favor this, (Key facts about Americans and guns, Katherine Schaeffer). 

I personally favor stricter firearm regulations. I wouldn’t want to know that my nephews and/or future children are in the presence of a firearm everyday in their classroom. A teacher can easily be having a bad day and project this on their students with the firearm. Gun violence is making more people aware of what can happen in the worst ways. For example, the gunman who killed three students from Michigan State University a few days ago and leaving five more injured. He even had “a note in his pocket that indicated a threat to two Ewing Public Schools,” as shown in The gunman who killed 3 Michigan State students and wounded 5 may have planned to attack New Jersey schools, police say, as heroes helped classmates flee by Holly Yan, Caroll Alvarado, Amanda Watts, Michelle Watson, and Nouran Salahieh. 

Silvy Munoz, DVC student