Opinion: "Is America prepared to make serious reforms to gun laws?"

In wake of the recent events of Las Vegas, gun control has been at the forefront of politics. But is America prepared to make serious reforms to gun laws?

It is well-known that the United States has a history of similar tragedies, especially in recent years. Up until the events of Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in American history was the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, which just happened last year.

As of October 14, there have been 48,643 recorded incidents of gun-related violence in the United States in 2017 alone, according to Gun Violence Archive (GVA). There have also been 12,169 deaths and 24,739 injuries due to gun violence this year. Gun violence in this country has become so commonplace that it almost seems like the norm.

For those worried about the government confiscating everyone’s guns – don’t. It simply won’t happen.

Remember, for a moment, the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Following the events of the shooting, it seemed like it was finally time to take more serious measures to prevent more gun violence. Yet, no legislation was passed. If 20 innocent children losing their lives to gun violence is not enough for us to rethink gun laws, then what is?

At a certain point, one begins to wonder how bad the situation actually has to get before lawmakers can come up with a palpable solution to this problem – and there is a problem. That much people can agree on, regardless of political leanings.

Although opinion tends to be split on finding a solution, we can at the very least agree that gun violence happens much too often in the U.S. , and we should not allow such tragedies to be just another part of American culture.