Sabrina Teeters

Every year, more than 4,300 teens and kids are shot and killed.

Right now in the U.S., we are seeing a large spike in gun violence, stemming from disagreements rooted in religion, politics, bullying, or just emotional struggles. So the big question is: why? Why do people feel that’s the only way to go about disagreements? Why do mentally unstable people even have guns? And the biggest one—why is it so easy to get your hands on guns?

From 1966 to 2019, 77% of mass shooters bought their guns legally. Some believe that the problem is individuals stealing guns, or they make other excuses, but the truth is that most are doing it without legal repercussions. It’s too easy to get these high-powered weapons, and more barriers need to be put in place in order to purchase a gun.

According to the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Bureau, in America there are “10 Easy Steps” to obtain a federal firearms license. The word “easy” here is concerning—it should really be “10 Difficult Steps” or “10 Highly Demanding Steps” in order to purchase a firearm. Simply put, it’s getting to a point where we have to blame the people and the government.

Mental health and well-being tests need to be put in place. This will help with the issue of unlawful people getting a gun and using it for the wrong reason. The National Library of Medicine agrees: “Mental health professionals play a critical role in assessing their patients for violence risk [and] counseling about firearm safety.”

A somewhat common trait among shooters has been mental health struggles. Only 8% of all mass shooters were diagnosed with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder. However, 25% suffered from less severe mental illnesses, while 33% of these shooters had diagnosed mental disorders.

Who knows what was wrong with the other 67%.

That being said, if you think taking someone’s life is the only way to solve your problems, you 100% have something wrong and you should seek help.

Lastly, the truth is that, for the most part, this seems to be a problem men are facing the most. 95.3% of shooters are men, and one out of four men who have depression received counseling or therapy in 2024. It’s sad to know that mostly men are the perpetrators of these shootings. Men make up 80% of suicides in the U.S. Most of these men have been in such a bad state that they feel the need to take their feelings out on other people because they think that their lives are worthless—but they aren’t.

In today’s day in age, mental disorders are sadly becoming normal, but what we see the most is people who don’t seek help are the ones ending their own lives, as well as sometimes harming others.

Mental health problems are not ever going to go completely away, but something we can do is at least make getting a gun a little bit harder. Shootings in the U.S. are on the rise, and we need change in our country. People are taking others’ lives and their own.

We need change.