No matter the current political climate, there will always be strife about gun control issues. Despite being around for centuries, guns continue to divide us down a line of conceived right and wrong notions—a vital guard to some but a weapon of mass destruction to others. Only in recent years, has the necessity of gun control become a subject that’s openly talked about. Many tragedies involving guns have made nationwide headlines, while a select few have sparked mass outrage. These tragic events have specifically called to question the importance of civilians carrying guns and the police’s behavior of so frequently using them. Gun control quickly became a subject of debate and empowered many to take to protesting in the hope of encouraging the government to take action. Unfortunately, for most people, gun control is an issue they believe in but fail to support. Creating change is not the same thing as simply believing. If no one dared to take the next step forward, we would only become more ignorant as we ignored what history has already shown us: that there is an obvious outcome to doing nothing.
Imagine a world in which the students in Parkland, Florida, hadn’t started a movement in 2018; if thousands of people across America hadn’t banded together to create the March for Our Lives protest and shown an entire country that gun control is a cause worth fighting for. Think about if everyone had brushed Breonna Taylor’s death off, ignoring the police brutality and systemic racism that caused her death. Instead, an entire nation rallied around her tragic passing, and the call for needed change grew. Think about the many changes made in both society and the government. It would not have been possible if we hadn't dived into the issues surrounding these events. In a time where it seems that every day brings about a new tragedy, it becomes more and more imperative that everyone plays their part.
Now, more than ever, the news is plagued with stories of mass shootings, shocking political twists, and downright disregard for human rights. It’s much too easy to feel sorry for only a brief moment until the next devastating new story follows. Because this event doesn’t directly affect you, it’s not really your problem. Because it isn’t someone that you know, it’s easy to brush off. You have empathy, but it only lasts until something else captures your attention. Why are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we turn a blind eye to other people's pain? Perhaps it is because we don’t think something is real, or because we’re scared of the consequences of speaking out. Either way, it is one’s selfishness that stops one from supporting a cause. Have we truly come to a time in our lives when something only becomes real once it happens to us?
For many people, the answer is yes. Picture a world in which everyone did something. No matter the scale of change it evoked, everyone still played a part. Instead of sending our thoughts and prayers to one another in times of need, we could create policy and change. What if the news was stories of lawmakers passing bills that changed lives and greatly improved the public? What if there weren’t any more stories of new mass shootings every day? A world where citizens band together to do what’s right with governments that listen to the people they govern. It seems unimaginable, but it only grows more so as fewer people refuse to stand up. Once more people begin to realize that gun control does affect their lives, and has already affected their lives, we can bring about real change. The only way to move forward is to ask yourself what’s stopping you from making that difference.