As of April 9 2021, 130 mass shootings have occurred in the United States this year. In just over three months, 130 shootings have occurred because a person had access to a gun with which they could take the lives of others.

And people still argue that guns aren’t the issue.

To an extent, guns aren’t the issue. A person is the one pulling the trigger, not the gun itself. However, in the case of mass shootings, so many innocent lives have been lost to the easy access of a gun. And in less than minutes, dozens of people can end up dead with nothing other to blame than the gun— and the person pulling the trigger.

So, if this is such a prevalent and recurring event in the U.S., why has no one done anything about it?

Politicians promote ending gun violence and make promises to take action, but we have seen a lack of follow-through time and time with those promises. Of course, the lack of action benefits themselves and their business. Wanting to stay relevant and not cause too much controversy is the main goal of most people in politics, so starting up gun reform action is not the smartest idea in their books. It’s weird that they don’t want to take any actions against their citizens getting murdered daily.

That’s not to say people (both politicians and regular citizens) aren’t advocating and making change. There are so many kind people and organizations, such as Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Sandy Hook Promise, and more that are fighting for change and trying to turn the heads of those in government to see what gun violence is doing to our country.

President Joe Biden promised gun control would be one of the first issues to call if elected. There has been no action on gun control regulations since, but recently Biden has announced executive action on gun reform as the number of gun violence cases have risen dramatically.

In data found by the CIA World Factbook, “America has more guns than people. Gun ownership in the United States is roughly 400 times that of Japan and about 26 times more than the United Kingdom.” More guns than people is an outrageous number of weapons lying around for anyone to purchase or use.

What is most surprising to me, as someone who is pro-gun reform is how not everyone is pro-gun reform. No one wants mass shootings to continue and everyone wants to keep themselves and their families safe, so what is the big deal?

Understandably, people view guns as a protective measure in their homes in case a dangerous situation arises, but by eliminating guns, we can eliminate a huge number of dangerous situations. According to the Giffords Law Center, an average of 100 Americans die per day due to gun violence- around 39,000 per year. Giffords also states that America has the weakest gun control laws, but the most guns. There has to be a way for everyone to come together to recognize that gun reform needs to happen immediately and to put aside political differences to save lives.

More than ever, the United States needs gun reform. There are multiple mass shootings per day, taking so many innocent lives. Putting aside differences and being able to advocate for safety for all will bring so much more peace to this country, for no one should have to live in fear of going to a grocery store or a movie theater. In the case of the recent Plymouth Middle School shooting and tons of other school mass shootings, no child should have to fear going to school, a place where they learn, make friends and build community.

I don’t want my future children growing up in a world like this. So, gun reform is something that myself and many others are passionate about, and with the motivation and dedication to advocate for gun reform, we will make a change.

Macy Berendsen can be reached at macy.berendsen@stthomas.edu.