Students and staff express opinions over Las Vegas massacre

The 2nd amendment states “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.” Meanwhile, on the daily average, “315 people in America are shot in murders, assaults, suicides and suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention” (Bradycampaign.org).

Junior Chase Thompson see’s gun control as the logical method.

“I am sensitive towards that topic, my cousins live in Texas and down there gun control is close to non-existent and therefore I have family members that have been shot and stuff like that because of it,” Thompson said. “Road rage is really scary down there because you know that almost everybody has guns, like my cousin had to go get one because of everybody that’s acting crazy.”

An estimated slightly over one third of Americans say that they or someone in their household owns a gun (Pewresearch.org). Because of this, Americans that typically wouldn’t have bought a gun may feel obligated to buy one for personal safety.  Sophomore Chelsea Wilken feels that there should be stricter guidelines determining who of the gun owning population of America should actually be allowed to own one.

“In Japan they have a policy where you have to have a mental health test and do like a background check and all that,” Wilken said. “I think here they should do a stricter check on who can get guns.”

Senior Collin Koory has similar thoughts to Wilken.

“I feel like it should be more strict, people can still hunt and do that stuff but there’s no need to have automatic weapons,” Koory said. “Are you gonna be lighting 50 bullets into a deer or something? Like no.”

Considering the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 3, many American’s have been reminded again of the conflicting arguments regarding gun control. With at least 59 people killed and over 500 wounded, this massacre has been recorded as America’s deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history (ABCNews.com).

“The fact that somebody could bring like ten suitcases into a hotel with not even being questioned at all as to why he had ten suitcases for one person, it doesn’t really sound like something that’s logical in my opinion,” Thompson said. “People have such crazy access to weapons which is scary. Even kids our age somehow get access to weapons, I don’t think it’s logical at all.”

Social studies teacher Bob Brousek isn’t confident that there could’ve been a way to avoid this situation while still following the standards America has for guns currently.

“I’m not a gun enthusiast myself. I don’t think it would hurt to have some limitations to our second amendment,” Brousek said. “But at the same time I don’t know if that would’ve stopped what that guy did. He got those guns legally.”

Librarian Theresa Gosnell, while the incident in Las Vegas was a tragedy, has faith that it will make more people aware of the power gun’s have.

“I think the incident in Vegas has opened a lot of people’s eyes,” Gosnell said. “They can get it [guns] so easily, and why do they have to have those types of guns? It’s just opened a lot of people’s eyes I believe even more so than before.”

The United States government says that now is not the appropriate time to politicize gun control. The staff of Westside Wired sends heartfelt sympathy to those affected by the recent Las Vegas massacre.

Photo credit to travelvegas.com.