February 23, 2018

By Annie Jennemann

_Annie Jennemann is a freshman journalism and English major at MU. She is an opinions columnist who writes about politics for The Maneater._

In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there’s been one topic on everyone’s mind: gun control. I’ve wondered after every mass shooting that has happened in my lifetime, when will America actually act on this issue?

There’s a vicious cycle when it comes to mass shootings in the United States. It starts with the shooting itself; everyone is surprised at first. They ask how the unthinkable could happen. I remember when I was in eighth grade and a 20-year-old man shot and killed 26 people, including 20 first-graders, at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I couldn’t even imagine that happening in my school.

So the unthinkable happens; what next? Thoughts and prayers. People send thoughts and prayers to the place of the tragic event. After the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, #prayfororlando was trending No. 1 on Twitter. I’m sure I even tweeted it at some point, and I don’t even pray — it’s just the immediate reaction everyone has. Send your thoughts to the victims and their families. Send your thoughts to [insert location here].

As the number of mass shootings per year increased, a step in the cycle became more noticable: the debate about guns. I argued with a friend of mine after the Las Vegas shooting because I was livid when I found out how many guns and modifiers the shooter owned. People argue on Facebook and family members argue with one another because this is the only time we ever feel the need to talk about gun control.

Typically, the next step in the cycle is when everyone moves on. But this time, after the Parkland shooting, where 17 students and teachers are dead, I can’t move on. I can’t move on when Columbine is no longer listed as one of the top 10 biggest mass shootings in modern American history.

I couldn’t move on when I watched the video of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior Emma Gonzalez giving a powerful speech at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’ve watched it many times now, and I will watch it again because now I realize that this time, my generation is speaking up and pointing fingers at those actually responsible for this tragic event: politicians.

Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and many more will walk with blood on their hands until gun legislation is passed, more likely until they stop taking donations from the National Rifle Association. As they continue to do this, they continue to allow the people in my generation to be killed. Marco Rubio, a senator for Florida, has received $3,303,355 from the NRA, and that’s not even the biggest contribution the NRA has made.

But why would I blame politicians for a terrorist attack committed by a 19-year-old? Of course, he was the active shooter and the one who committed such a terrible crime, but he is my age and was able to obtain the gun. This leads to the argument about how criminals will always find a way to obtain a gun, regardless of legislation and laws. That’s invalid. To compare this to something more “normal,” if there weren’t traffic laws, people wouldn’t follow any sort of rules, leading to more car crashes. Yes, people still disobey the traffic laws that we actually have, but the number of people who do disobey those laws and the number of car crashes due to that is much smaller than it would be without those laws.

We need gun control to help prevent tragedies like the one in Parkland and numerous other cities. More background checks, mental health checks, an assault weapons ban and more are needed because it is simply too easy to buy a gun. Until legislation is passed, my generation will continue the fight this tragedy sparked. Something has begun, and this time it isn’t going to end softly. As for now, I look to the U.S. government and President Trump to wipe the blood off of their hands and pass the legislation many have been waiting for.