“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” – U.S. Second Amendment 
Ironically, most people who talk about the second amendment forget the first clause that emphasizes a “well-regulated” militia.
What would you say if I told you there is a problem in the U.S. that affects over 100,000 Americans annually?  Would you want to solve this issue? Or would you turn your back on the problem?
Gun control is one of the most debated issues in the U.S right now. It is important to mention that I’m not an “ultra liberal hippie pacifist” who hates guns and loves Obama; I am, in fact, a huge fan of guns. I grew up around guns. Although I like guns, I do not let my bias blind me from the cold facts that gun violence is one of the largest problems in the U.S.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I mention gun control and instantly hear a group of ignorant individuals scream their battle cry that Obama is going to take our guns away. Rest assured, this is about the need for more gun control to save lives — not just to take them.
President Obama recently mentioned a previously unknown fact that gun violence in the U.S. has killed more Americans than terrorism since 9/11. On average, guns end the lives of more than 80 people in the United States every day.
Imagine if we took the same statistics on gun violence in the U.S, but changed the name of the country to, say, Russia. Do you think our government would lose their mind over these facts and alert the international community? I bet that we would.
A counter argument to the gun debate is that only good guys will follow the laws and bad guys will still get guns. My answer is that this argument is right to some extent. Although it may be true that some bad guys will still find ways to get guns, my money is that there will be a significant decrease in the amount of gun violence because with more regulations would make guns less readily available.
One story that provides a personal perspective on the issue with gun regulations is the time I went to a gun convention with my dad. While I was at the convention with my father, who worked for the prison systems, I saw him look at another man in a very focused and cold stare. What I didn’t know at the time was that my dad recognized the man standing next to us; he was a recently released felon looking to buy a gun. It turns out that guns are so easy to buy that a felon could stand next to me, buy a weapon, and suffer no penalties. The outcome of the story was that the felon started to buy the gun until he turned around, recognized my dad and left because he realized my dad worked in the prison systems and recognized who he was. In this case, imagine what would have happened if my dad wasn’t there to recognize this guy. My point is that regulations aren’t perfect, but they may stop some criminals from buying guns — like the felon at the gun convention.
Although gun violence is affecting thousands of people a year, there are some proposed solutions and positive steps forward. One proposed solution is to first get rid of gun convention loopholes and increase regulations including psychological exams, extensive criminal background checks and mandatory safety courses. Ironically, we are required to have a license for driving a car but not for owning a gun — unless you get a concealed handgun permit.
Gun regulations may seem like common sense, but they aren’t common knowledge because many people still don’t know what gun regulations entail. Gun regulations aren’t about taking your weapons, they are about assuring that people who want weapons are fit to have them. If we do not continue to push  for gun regulations, then the alternative is the continual increase in mass deaths of innocent individuals. We must now ask ourselves: Will we stand for what’s right or will we continue to ignore the realities of the situation?
Follow Zachary Moss on Twitter @ZachMoss6