It’s been 13 days since political activist Charlie Kirk was shot on Utah Valley University's campus. It has been just two days since the last mass shooting. Gun violence is a tragedy that divides our nation. Mass shootings have turned into a partisan talking point, where political figures use them to further their impact and outreach.
From school shootings in suburban neighborhoods, to mass killings in houses of worship, to targeted attacks on political figures, no one is immune to gun violence’s chilling grip. The U.S. has the highest rate of gun death among developed nations, not necessarily because we are uniquely violent, but because we make it incredibly easy to obtain weapons of war.
Each time you open social media, you see thoughts and prayers splayed across every post, but we all know that doesn't do anything. We can't stand by and shout about how there's no room for political violence in America if we aren't ready to do anything about it. We don't need any more prayers. We need action. We need gun control.
Implementing universal background checks is a great place to start. Universal background checks typically refer to a regulated network in which all gun buyers would be required to pass a criminal and mental health background check before purchasing a firearm.
A study from 2016 analyzed firearm death rates in each state and considered how different gun control laws affected this. They concluded universal background checks could reduce gun deaths in the U.S. by 57%.
I'm sure Ohio University students remember the Mike Rinks debacle of 2024. Students taunted him on Snapchat stories and laughed in his face; nobody took him seriously. Eventually, he was banned from campuses for harassing female students and making terroristic threats. It was later discovered he owned AR-15s. God forbid he had been driven to do something unforgivable. This issue is closer than anyone realizes, and actions that prevent the purchase of firearms, such as background checks, could have prevented it.
Extreme risk laws can help prevent mass shootings in emergencies. These laws, also referred to as “Red Flag” laws, allow judges to temporarily remove an individual's firearms if there is a posed threat. Many mass shooters publicly display threatening behaviors before they make a life-ending choice. The Parkland shooter, for example, had repeated unanswered offences before he killed 17 students in the Florida shooting. Warning signs were ignored, resulting in misery for families and mourning Americans.
Federal investments in community-based violence prevention can stop issues at the ground level. Let's begin to help communities that need violence prevention. Violence intervention is meant to disrupt cycles of violence by addressing traumas, giving mental health care access and providing more opportunities in communities. By stopping violence in our communities, we can prevent individuals from turning to such behavior.
Many Black and Hispanic communities experience heightened rates of violence due to years of systemic racism. Years of racial discrimination and disinvestment have caused communities to crumble. Gun violence has diminished economic opportunity, creating vicious cycles. Gun violence affects Black Americans, specifically Black men, at incredibly disproportionate rates. We shouldn't be writing this off as inevitable; change can happen.
As of 2020, gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. From 2020 to 2022, there were 22 states where gun violence killed more children than motor vehicle crashes, the previous leading cause. In 2023, 46,728 people died from gun-related deaths. In 2025 alone, there have been 370 mass shootings in the U.S.
This is the state of our country. Every day of inaction is a choice, a signal to citizens that our lives are expendable. If gun violence does not discriminate, then neither should policy. Safety should be a right enjoyed by all Americans, not a privilege reserved for the lucky. Gun violence is not someone else's tragedy. It's ours.
Lily is a sophomore studying integrated language arts at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Lily about their column? Email them at lm054424@ohio.edu.
