Ten years ago, in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, 26 people, including 20 children and six educators, died at the hands of a school shooter.  Since the horrific tragedy in 2012, many Americans have established organizations, such as The Sandy Hook Promise, to end gun violence.  Nevertheless, gun violence exceeded car crashes as the number one cause of death for children in 2022, according to The New York Times.  Gun violence is a war against America’s most vulnerable and Americans should not stop fighting until the deaths from gun violence subside.  Although some Americans have become more aware of the escalating, daily danger of gun violence, more people need to advocate for laws that minimize civilian access to firearms in order for the government to change laws and ultimately bring an end to gun fatalities. 

School shootings are still a constant threat to every school in the United States (US).  With only a few laws that minimize or prohibit owning a gun, schools are left bare and unprotected from the potential danger of gun violence.  In May 2022, Uvalde, Texas, witnessed a tragedy that shook the ground beneath many Americans’ feet.  The shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde left 19 children and two educators dead, according to The New York Times.  The Uvalde shooting demonstrates that even a decade after the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Americans and the US federal government have not done enough to eradicate casualties from firearms.  Americans need to speak up and pressure state legislators.  The US government should do more.  Unfettered access to deadly weapons is unnecessary.

The state government of Texas began permitting civilians to carry handguns in public places without having their licenses with them in 2021, according to guides.sll.texas.gov.  This new state law is a step backward from gun control and could potentially endanger many innocent lives.  States with loose gun regulations, such as Texas, are one of the main reasons people die from gun violence every day. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that throughout 2022 gun violence took the lives of 3,597 children, the highest number in the past 20 years, according to The New York Times.  While suicide and homicides by firearms are also part of that number, if the government made guns less available to the general public, all aspects that contribute to gun violence fatalities, particularly school shootings, would decrease.  

Family members of Sandy Hook shooting victims established The Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization, in order to end gun violence towards children, sandyhookpromise.org.  Across the United States, the Sandy Hook Promise works to teach children and parents to identify signs of violent tendencies that can lead to gun violence, according to abcnews.go.com.  While this organization’s efforts are admirable, they need support from all Americans to create lasting change in amending the laws of the US federal government.

The US is a nation of the people, so it is up to the people to prevent fellow Americans from using firearms to take the lives of innocent children.  Americans must continue to support the efforts of organizations fighting against gun violence, such as The Sandy Hook Promise.  It is up to “We the People” to bring change in the US.  Americans must attend school walk-outs, rally at protests, demand that their elected representatives change laws, and continue supporting organizations that fight against gun violence and support the loved ones of victims.  Only in unification can Americans end deaths from firearms and amend inhumane laws. 

Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25