What We Should All Want Out Of Gun Control

Since the shooting in Orlando, gun control has been a hot topic in the media and has led to filibusters and sit-ins in Washington. It seems as if all we've been hearing lately is different ideas for guns and gun control. Now I'm not here to make up your mind, but I consider myself pretty reasonable, so hear me out.

Sandy Hook, Charleston, and now Orlando. These are just three mass shootings that have recently happened in America that merited a lot of media attention. Orlando is considered to be the largest mass shooting in American history.

So far this is all fact, but let me show you the two basic opinions. Many Republicans believe that we shouldn't even touch gun laws whatsoever, in fact, many are advocating getting rid of gun-free zones and arming more citizens so we can protect ourselves from people who only have intent to kill. Democrats want to add regulation on guns and possibly ban some guns.

I'm going to be honest, I have never in my life shot a gun, unless Call of Duty counts. I have done my research, and I've seen some videos where armed citizens have stopped armed robberies and other crimes, but today, we're talking about mass shootings.

Stopping an armed robbery with a weapon is something else, armed robbers don't normally walk into a place with pure intent to kill. When a mass shooter walks in and instantly opens fire, that's a completely different mindset.

Let's go back to the club in Orlando. There was some armed security there and it didn't seem to do much help. Why? Mainly because in a dark nightclub opening fire into a crowd of people hoping to kill one shooter is simply dangerous.

If an armed civilian or guard had attempted to open fire in the middle of such chaos the death toll in Orlando could have ended up much higher. Of course, this is all speculation.

There are studies out there that show both sides. Studies that show arming a teacher could result in saving lives in school shootings. There are other studies that show arming more citizens can result in more casualties in mass shootings. But, studies are studies and this will be an argument that lasts forever.

So here's what I propose. Just make it harder for people to buy guns. Sure, it's a bit of a hassle, but if you really want to own a gun, you can wait a few extra hours or days for the gun seller to verify you're safe enough to own a gun.

Get rid of the gun show loophole where anyone can walk in and buy a gun and walk out within twenty minutes. I propose absolutely no ban on weapons, none. Every gun that is currently legal can stay legal, but just add some basic safety checks. And don't argue that they already exist, it's been proven time and time again how mass shooters have slipped through the cracks because there wasn't enough verification on the shooter.

We can argue later on what should be legal and what shouldn't, if a certain demographic causes more shootings than another, but for now, let's just try and make America a tad bit safer.