As you are well aware, gun violence in the United States has been increasing and is becoming especially present in Washington. Following the January 26th shooting near Belfair, we have seen 7 more cases of mass shootings in our state alone. Thats over 30 people who will never return home to their families.
I never believed that a shooting would affect me, until June 30th, 2016. This was the day of the Mukilteo shooting where a jealous ex-boyfriend went to a house party and killed 3 people, one of them being my cousin, Jake Long. At the time, my family had just finished celebrating a large happy wedding, when the news spread, everyone was shocked. You never see it coming. Since then my family has been extremely cautious and constantly terrified …show more content…
In fact, Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group, took gun death rates from 2014 and created a list based on death via gun per 100,000 residents. Massachusetts, a state that requires permits in order to ban guns and also has a ban on assault rifles was rated 3rd lowest, 48th out of 50, with roughly 4 citizens per 100,000 killed via gun; Washington, on the other hand, was rated 36th out of 50 with almost 10 per 100,000. With laws that allow people to buy guns as if they were eggs in a grocery store, it is no surprise that we are struggling to control gun …show more content…
Sadly, we live in a world that no longer uses guns for their original purpose, to protect their owners from invaders or those who try to hurt them. Don’t get me wrong, guns can be helpful when hunting, but they are also used to commit crimes, get revenge, and hurt people. Banning guns is not the solution, proper education and restrictions are the only way to efficiently deter mass shooters and other people with negative intentions. As a proud resident of Washington state, I believe that it should be all of our jobs to keep our state safe and educated while also giving those with good intent, the freedoms they want and deserve. Without a governor 's support, it is hard to make these positive changes needed in order to protect our neighbors, friends, and
I never believed that a shooting would affect me, until June 30th, 2016. This was the day of the Mukilteo shooting where a jealous ex-boyfriend went to a house party and killed 3 people, one of them being my cousin, Jake Long. At the time, my family had just finished celebrating a large happy wedding, when the news spread, everyone was shocked. You never see it coming. Since then my family has been extremely cautious and constantly terrified …show more content…
In fact, Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group, took gun death rates from 2014 and created a list based on death via gun per 100,000 residents. Massachusetts, a state that requires permits in order to ban guns and also has a ban on assault rifles was rated 3rd lowest, 48th out of 50, with roughly 4 citizens per 100,000 killed via gun; Washington, on the other hand, was rated 36th out of 50 with almost 10 per 100,000. With laws that allow people to buy guns as if they were eggs in a grocery store, it is no surprise that we are struggling to control gun …show more content…
Sadly, we live in a world that no longer uses guns for their original purpose, to protect their owners from invaders or those who try to hurt them. Don’t get me wrong, guns can be helpful when hunting, but they are also used to commit crimes, get revenge, and hurt people. Banning guns is not the solution, proper education and restrictions are the only way to efficiently deter mass shooters and other people with negative intentions. As a proud resident of Washington state, I believe that it should be all of our jobs to keep our state safe and educated while also giving those with good intent, the freedoms they want and deserve. Without a governor 's support, it is hard to make these positive changes needed in order to protect our neighbors, friends, and