Hi, my name is April and today I’m talking to you about the seriousness of gun violence. Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. This is a big issue because innocent lives are being taken. According to TeamEnough.org, every day, on average, 316 people in America are shot in murders, assaults, suicides and suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention. We live in danger never knowing if we can be a victim of a firearm. From January 1, 2023 until March 13, 2023, there have been 110 mass shootings in our country.

Imagine a world where we felt safe where you didn’t lose someone you cared about one to a gun, a world in which we didn’t constantly hear bad news about the many mass shootings there are. I want to feel secure anywhere I go, but instead I live in paranoia knowing that this can happen anywhere at any time.

Tools we have to work on this issue are to enforce stricter gun laws. We should require safe storage for gun owners. We should also speak up if we see something suspicious, or we sense someone could be in danger or become  a victim of a gun.

I, personally, have experienced the loss of a loved one due to gun violence. My high school classmate’s life was taken by a gun assault. I think this could have been prevented if more people were aware of the dangers of gun violence, and if better laws were in place to protect people from guns.

I need you to speak loudly about this issue. Don’t wait until you get the heartbreaking news that you lost a loved one. We could change a lot simply using our voices.