Column: Will I be next?

Gun violence is getting out of hand

Grace Faver | Washtenaw Voice

By Ruby Go
Editor

It was about a month ago when I thought it was my turn to get shot.

I was working in the newsroom—alone—when suddenly I heard a man wail with rage. The wailing was soon accompanied by a banging so intense I could feel it on the bottoms of my feet. Because I could only hear what was happening, the first thought that came to my mind was, “Is he a shooter?”

I hid out of view from the door and waited silently in distress for about five minutes. The banging eventually stopped, and once my heart rate returned to a normal pace, I just sat there, trying to make sense of what just happened. I didn’t hear any actual gunshots, so what probably happened was someone had a really bad day.

Did I overreact? In today’s world, no, I don’t think I did.

One month after the MSU shooting, it feels like a matter of when I will get shot, not if. There have already been more than 100 mass shootings in America this year, with one or more happening almost every day, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people being shot (whether they were injured or killed).

For children ages 1-18, an age group that I am a part of, gun violence has become the leading cause of death, surpassing car accidents and even cancer, according to The New York Times. Last year, guns took the lives of more than 6,000 children and teens, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

My dad works as a paraprofessional for third grade at a local school. The other day, the class did an activity designed to teach them about courage. They were given a worksheet that asked what their biggest fear is and how they want to overcome it. Nearly all of the third graders put “getting shot” as their biggest fear.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The United States is the only country among its peers (countries of similar size or wealth) where gun violence is the number one cause of death among children. Car accidents and cancer are the top causes of death for children in most other countries, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Look at Canada, for example. Gun violence is the fifth leading cause of death among children, causing a total of 48 deaths in 2020. That same year in the U.S., more than 4,300 children lost their lives to guns.

Canada’s gun laws make a lot more sense to me than ours, and clearly they do a much better job at keeping people safe. First off, firearms are federally regulated. Second, it seems that it is much harder to obtain one. In October 2022, Canada banned all handgun sales, purchases, and transfers. Meanwhile, some malicious person in Alabama is buying an AK-47 because they don’t even do background checks down there!

It may sound dramatic, but going out in public nowadays means risking your life. The threat of being shot is very real. At 17 years old, I don’t really understand the politics revolving around gun laws, but I recognize the need for change. Nothing can justify the amount of deaths, injuries, and lives ruined by guns.

All you can do is hope you’re not next.