On December 14, 2013, twenty children and six adults were shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. This tragedy hit the U.S. by storm in their hearts and their minds. A realization occurred that the use of guns in the U.S. must be controlled. Twenty-six innocent people died that day.  We must do our best to prevent any more. On Wednesday, April 3, 2013, Connecticut state senators intensely discussed a bill to control the overall use of guns. This bill would require background checks on the private sale of guns and a ban on the sale of high-capacity ammunition clips (the kind used in the Sandy Hook shooting). The high-capacity ammunition clips that the shooter used allowed him to shoot 154 rounds in five minutes. The bill will also create a $15 million fund in order to help schools improve security due to the fact that it would also increase the amount of weapons included in Connecticut’s assault weapons ban. The bill is still being intensely debated in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. For more information visit here.

I think that by placing these measures, it would make the U.S. Government feel they did something to help protect people from another shooting like Sandy Hook. I believe that it’s a “grey area” if you ban the use of guns to the public, it would be a violation of the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, the right to bear arms. Still, as long as guns are available to the public, it’s possible for another tragedy to happen any day. I’ve heard the term, “working the system”, well I believe “working the system” is exactly what these types of people do to get their hands on a gun. On the other hand, a 15 million dollar fund in order to help protect schools from tragedies like Sandy Hook from happening again, is something long overdue. Would you give up your right to bear arms in order to protect from another Sandy Hook? I would! What do you think?

~Kellie Phipps