How many of you have lost someone due to gun violence? How many of you know someone who has lost someone to gun violence? If this is you, I want to know, have you ever felt angry? Have you ever wondered how people could do this? Gun violence is something that plagues this world. It causes people to feel unsafe and wonder if this could be them or someone they care about next. I’m writing about gun violence because gun violence in Washington, DC, leads to many unnecessary deaths, causing many people in this city to lose family members and friends. Therefore, Congress should pass legislation that requires daily transaction reports of gun sales so that gun sales can be tracked within the community to make sure they aren’t being stolen and used in crimes.
I remember the day clearly. It was almost 11:30 p.m., and I heard the noise of my mom asking what happened on the phone. I ran out of my room and asked her what happened. She told me that my father was hurt and then rushed out of the house. Later on, she came back and told me he was dead from a gunshot wound. I was numb. My mind was racing with all types of questions. Why? Was he at the wrong place at the wrong time? But most of all, I wonder how the man who shot my father got that gun. Were they that accessible? I asked myself. These questions were in my head all night long. For days, the same questions came to my mind, but a new one came, too. Was my father scared before he died? Then suddenly, I was filled to the brim with rage and sadness, because no matter how many questions I had, it still wouldn’t bring him back. I’m writing about this topic because I’ve grieved because of gun violence. I’ve felt the pain of losing someone who wasn’t supposed to be lost in the first place. I want to prevent others from having to feel the pain I’ve experienced or ask the questions I’ve had to ask because of this issue.
According to everytownresearch.org, 155 people die in an average year due to guns in Washington, DC. The District has also been ranked to have the highest rate of gun violence in the country. The Metropolitan Police Department’s crime data shows that the police in DC recovered 2,310 unknown guns in 2021 and 3,152 unknown guns in 2022. Clearly, a significant number of unknown firearms were in poor hands, resulting in crimes being committed. Euronews.com also reports that one in five Americans know someone who has died from gun violence. This emphasizes that many adults have lost family members, but it also doesn’t account for the kids who have lost family members, too. Both suffer the pain of losing loved ones because of gun violence. To summarize my point, unknown guns in unqualified hands lead to offenses, some resulting in death, which leaves loved ones, both adults and children, to grieve for the victims.
One way in particular that gun violence in Washington, DC, can be solved is through Congress. Congress can pass legislation that requires gun sales to be monitored, which means that both the seller and buyer would have to report about the exchange. As stated in “Background Checks on All Gun Sales,” monitoring gun sales helps reduce gun violence, meaning lower gun homicide rates and low gun trafficking rates. More specifically, according to Giffords.org, “Firearm sales and background check records can be used by law enforcement in a number of ways to solve gun crimes and identify gun sellers and purchasers who are violating state and federal gun laws” (“Maintaining Records of Gun Sales”). This indicates that tracking gun dealings allows the police to find people who have committed gun violence and the people who have had a part in getting them the guns. The legislation I’m talking about will allow the police to trace guns that aren’t where they’re supposed to be before they are used to commit homicide. To conclude, Congress should pass legislation that allows the police to track missing guns before they are used to commit a crime.
Opponents of this idea may argue that more gun laws will not stop criminals from stealing guns that aren’t traced. What this opinion fails to consider is that while the legislation wouldn’t stop criminals from stealing guns, it would help us keep track of the guns that are missing. It would also help us investigate where and when the guns went missing so we could possibly find out where they were. The article says, “Tracing is a system of tracking the movement of a firearm from its manufacture … to identify an unlicensed purchaser”(ATF). As you can see, guns can be traced, and this legislation is necessary because we can find the guns that were stolen without them being a part of a crime.
In closing, gun violence is a problem that causes numerous deaths, affecting not only me but my family and friends as well, leaving people behind to grieve. If Congress passed the legislation, then the police would be able to help track all the guns that have been lost, stolen, or misplaced to get them off the street, resulting in fewer crimes. If guns are so accessible and any grown adult can have access to them, then imagine how easy it is for a teenager to get it from someone who got it from someone to commit a crime. Another life lost from gun violence and a life lost to committing a crime when all could be prevented or at most have a fighting chance to decrease the crime rates at least. We may not be able to stop all gun violence crimes, but as they say, at least one chance counts.
