Citizens should not be allowed to bring weapons into the learning environment or on private property. The second amendment conveys the right to bear arms, which means that Americans have the constitutional right to defend themselves and their property, with force if necessary. Individuals have taken this to a deadly extent.

Communities all over the country live in apprehension of gun violence. That’s unacceptable. On December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, Adam Lanza killed twenty students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Some may blame his actions on mental illness. I agree. Having a mental illness like Asperger’s syndrome and being troubled isn’t the victim’s fault. However, that does not give him the right to kill innocent people, children in that matter. Some say, “What if that was you with a mental disorder, would you want someone to arrest you?” What if it was your child and someone killed them? Would you want the killer to be free just because they have a mental illness?

When someone is carrying a weapon for evil deeds they feel that they are entitled to not follow the law. Another example is the shooting that occurred at the AME church in Charleston, South Carolina. Guns give people power, and not a healthy one. Guns are putting society in a dictatorship where the person behind the trigger has total control, and the victim has absolutely none. I do not wish to live in a world where the places I go for worship and education are terrorized by gun violence.

Yes there are different guidelines to follow for being armed with a deadly weapon; however these rules are unlimited. It’s not thought about those with a mental problem, drug addicts, fugitives, and felons get to purchase a gun. (How many convicts go back to jail for misuse in a deadly weapon?) Criminals don’t need an ID to buy a gun. They can get them on the streets with little to no trouble. On December 27, 2013, a man was shot and killed on his own property. The state of Florida says that firing a gun on private property is legal. The discharging of weapons on private land, including residential property, is legal as long as lives are not endangered, University of Florida law professor George B. Dekle said.

In the end there was a life endangered. Bringing weapons into areas we label as “safe” is not okay. How many more lives have to be taken before we see change in this matter?