Gun Control

Farmington fifth grader Lillian Yim was one of the winners of an annual essay contest sponsored by the Farmington Rotary Club in collaboration with West Woods Upper Elementary School. Her teacher was Sandi Dowle. Read her essay, "Gun Control" below. 

By Lillian Yim

Have you ever wondered what guns do to our community or country?  Did you know there were 13 mass tragedies that involved guns in 2012?  People shouldn’t have guns anymore for many reasons.  First, there are too many tragedies in the country and our communities. Second, people don’t need guns that much. Finally, guns have an enormous effect on children.  I believe that guns are dangerous for many people and therefore people should not have them.  Recent tragedies have had a powerful impact on people in support of gun control.

There are so many innocent people dying from gun violence.  Therefore it is our president’s job to handle this problem.  “No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can’t be an excuse for inaction,” President Barack Obama said at a memorial service in Newtown following the Sandy Hook shooting.  I agree with him.  I believe something has to be done to stop these tragedies.  The Sandy Hook shooting was the worst school shooting in Connecticut.  Many believe it was even the worst in our nation’s history.  People are still grieving for those who were killed.  Another tragedy happened in 2012 in Aurora, Colorado where 12 people were killed in a deadly movie theater shooting.  Additionally, there was still another shooting tragedy at a shopping mall in Portland, Oregon.  Because of all this gun violence, people will be heartbroken forever.  I think now is the right time to prevent people from doing even more damage with guns.

Some people say we need guns to protect ourselves, but I don’t think this is true.  I believe we have better ways to protect ourselves without guns.  Today, in 2013, we have more advanced technology than when our country’s first gun laws were passed.  Since we live in a modern society, we have many ways to protect ourselves.  There are alarm systems that ring when someone tries to break into your home.  People used to have guns for protecting purposes, but now that we have alarm systems intruders are frightened away.  Also a long time ago, people who lived near farm areas needed guns for hunting purposes.  In 2013 things have changed.  Now, many people live in cities because it is easier to find jobs.  They get food by shopping at grocery stores, NOT by hunting with guns.  Even if some people still live on farms, they can find other ways to get animal meat.  People might think we still do need guns, but they definitely do not need them to find their own food.

Gun violence has an enormous effect on children.  Statistics tell us that one out of eight teens carry weapons for self-defense.  One out of nine students cut class, or even miss school, in order to stay safe.  Sometimes, kids take a different route to school (if they don’t ride a bus) to avoid violent situations.  Kids go to different playgrounds that look safer or take a different route to home or school.  The Sandy Hook shooting caused anxiety and fear in many students.  This needs to stop.  Congress should strengthen gun laws so that children, families, and teachers feel safe at school.

So as you can see, people have been both physically hurt and heartbroken as a result of gun violence. I believe we must change our gun laws because more and more people will get hurt if we don’t do anything.  Since we have more advanced technology, it isn’t necessary to have guns.  I hope President Obama and Congress will do something about gun problems.  In conclusion, our government should strengthen our gun laws to avoid more senseless tragedies.