People in DC are dying from gun violence, and that is leading to families missing their loved ones and people being afraid. One of my cousins almost got shot because there was a shootout in her neighborhood, and it went through her window. Luckily, she was not by the window, but others are not always as lucky.
There are too many shootings and fights that kill people and cause them to miss their loved ones. A story in the Washington Post told how “in April [of 2024], a man was shot and killed steps away from Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School in Northeast DC. Parents and neighbors said that kids were on the playground at the time, close enough to hear the gunfire before teachers rushed them inside.” As the Urban Institute noted, one parent, quoted in the blog DCist, “said that her 4-year-old son had nightmares following the shooting; another said that her daughter was afraid to go back to school.” People in DC are dying, and that is affecting families.
A solution for gun violence is the U.S. Congress needs to make it mandatory that gun buyers in all venues undergo a criminal background check. Even if someone purchases a gun from a flea market a gun show, or an individual dealer, they should need a clean background check to do so. If somebody wants to buy a gun but has a previous problem with gun violence, then the gun owner knows not to sell them a gun. As Virginia Representative Bobby Scott advises in his gun safety platform, “Strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database.” In other words, he advocates that people who are selling guns need to do a criminal background check so the seller does not give a gun to someone who had to go to court for a murder or something like that.
In conclusion, gun violence hurts several people for no reason and it also hurts their family. It can also affect people’s reaction in a certain area from the last shooting. A solution for gun violence is for the U.S. Congress to make a stronger law about background checks because it is affecting how people live.
