Imagine this, it’s a normal day and the sun is shining and you help your children get ready for school. You hand them their money for lunch, because not many packs lunch these days. With a final look, you kiss them goodbye. Their backpack fades in the distance and with that you’re off. A couple hours into the work day you see panic start to rise in your coworkers, then your phone rings. It’s your neighbor telling you there’s armed people wandering your children’s school. Your heart drops, frantic you race to the school which is already surrounded by other parents and police blockading any entrance. In your mind, you picture yourself barreling through these crowds of people . But the wall of bodies blocks your path. Shots fire. Everything is black, the only thing you feel is anguish consuming your body and you go limp. Now, if you have been lucky enough to never experience this as a parent, count your blessings. Not everyone can say the same.

On the morning of the 18th, of May 2018 the 22nd school shooting took place at Santa Fe High School in the southeastern town of Santa Fe, Texas. Thus far ten people are dead, 9 students and 1 teacher. Of the injured there are two law enforcement officials and several others. The suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, appeared before a judge via video from Galveston County jail, where he entered no plea and was charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. According to his Facebook page he was photographed with or waring nazi propaganda and symbols that show the worship of Satan. As of now there is a another suspect, 18, who was arrested in belief to be an accomplice. There is also reports of explosive devices found near the school and were planned to be used to harm students and faculty.

Unfortunately, modern times have made the majority of the population numb to this type of news. Another memorial and moment of silence will only further push the debate that is gun control. There are always pros and cons to any argument, and because of the ever-going debate policies and changes have been spreading across the United States. Currently colleges are implementing policies to permit students to open carry on campus and with that there has been an increase security protocol and other security procedures. With these policies being placed, those with concern about the security in the high school and junior high still have questions residing over whether or not K-12 teachers/staff should be permitted to carry a firearm; either open or concealed. While the associations/organizations that support the use of firearms in school setting see this as a way to prevent future situations. They seem to struggle with the argument against such ideals.

Nothing in this world is for sure, there is no set future in our constantly changing world. People are unpredictable, people are like trees, while there is no doubt that trees exists can we truly understand them? No two trees are exactly alike, they grow in different ways and live different life spans. Just like we do, there are some people who live to be over a hundred and then there are some who don’t even get their first breath. There are cases in which people who appeared perfectly normal have killed mass amounts of people, and go to the grocery store and buy the same things you do.

Think about it like this, how would you feel knowing the guy next to you is openly carrying a weapon that could take a life in a second, or even if they have it concealed. With that said, also consider switching roles, now you’re the guy carrying the gun, you had a family member taken by a firearm incident and the only sense of protection you feel is having that weapon on your hip or in your car. It’s too difficult to state which side is right or wrong, the only thing we, the younger generations or those who just want to understand the constant debate around gun control need to do is; gain as much knowledge about the subject in order to help solve the issue rather than worsen it.