Yet another mass shooting in America, and the world is reeling because change is unfortunately unlikely

As a human being, as a woman, as a Journalist, as a daughter, and as a friend, I was wholeheartedly saddened to hear of the Texas mass shooting in Uvalde, at Robb Elementary School.

I was, and still am angry, sad, and horrified, but unfortunately, not surprised.

Guns are woven into the fabric of America, in particular, Texas.

It’s becoming clearer after each senseless murder, that lawmakers are more worried about protecting their gun rights than they’re innocent people.

Enough is enough.

It’s almost ten years since the Sandy Hook mass shooting where 20 children were murdered.

You would assume that particular massacre would’ve been enough to ignite change in American gun rights, but it wasn’t.

Now, another group of children has been slaughtered in their classrooms. So what is the threshold before something is done?

"The United States has determined that owning guns has costs and one of those costs is human lives… Right now the lives of no one matters…not even our children."

– @meganpratz speaks about the reality of America following the #TexasSchoolMassacre #Uvalde pic.twitter.com/SjdtbKmuzS

— TICKER NEWS (@tickerNEWSco) May 25, 2022

Children shouldn’t have to live in fear. The kids of Uvalde were just two days out from summer vacation, where they should be just that- kids.

Now, the selfish and barbaric actions of one 18-year-old individual, who had easy access to an assault rifle, stole their futures away.

Moments of silence are not enough, condolences are not enough.

This does not happen as frequently in any other country in the world. So why is the political appetite for change in America so low?

Gun law overhaul

Here’s what’s being discussed in Congress, in regards to making a change to gun rights.

Currently, federal law does not require unlicensed gun sellers to conduct background checks prior to the purchase of arms. 

Dubbed the H.R. 8 bill, it would step up the required background checks before a gun is purchased.

However, it continues to be stalled in the Senate, where it needs ten Republican votes to get through.

It’s now in the process of getting on the upper chamber’s calendar, with many pushing for an urgent vote, even if it’s doomed to fail by Republicans.

They argue that background checks tarnish gun rights and will take away guns.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will also push for a gun safety bill to be voted on in June.

The proposed bill would “allow family members and law enforcement to obtain an extreme risk protection order to temporarily remove access to firearms for those who are deemed a danger to themselves or to others by a federal court.”

Red flag laws are also in place, but they prove ineffective far too frequently.

They only alert a problem if someone has a criminal history or has been previously deemed mentally ill.

Meaning cases like the 18-year-old suspect in the Uvalde mass shooting slipped through the cracks.

Most regulations on gun rights vary from state to state, because gun regulation cannot pass at the Federal level, with no majority support.

Therefore, it leaves gun use and availability up to the leaders of each state.

At this point in time, gun control will not stop every horrific attack, but it will make a difference.

If you keep doing the same process in life, you will get the same outcome. A mass shooting nearly every week in America is surely enough reason to make a change?

National Rifle Association meeting

And most distastefully, the National Rifle Association convention is scheduled for this weekend in Houston, Texas.

Attendees at this convention are prohibited from “bringing firearms, firearm accessories, knives, and other items.”

So no guns are allowed at the NRA meeting but an 18-year-old can walk into an elementary school with an assault rifle and massacre innocent people.

The irony in that. As the NRA essentially continues to hold America hostage.