NECC Observer

The student news website of Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill and Lawrence, Mass.

Gun violence in America

I believe in our Second Amendment Rights to bear arms, but I do not think that regular citizens should be able to acquire automatic or semiautomatic assault rifles. There has been 119 mass shootings so far this year and we are only into April. That is almost one a day, according to Newsweek.

Last weekend alone, 53 people were injured or killed in mass shootings across the country. The deadliest weekend yet was two weeks ago, when eight people were killed and more than 60 were hurt in mass shootings across nine st ates, according to The Washington Post.

April alone has had twelve mass shootings, killing 15 people and 56 have been injured and it is only the 5 th of April. March had 53 mass shootings and February had 40, according to Gun Violence Archive.

Some Republican lawmakers do not believe guns are the problem. For example, Congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Majorie Taylor Greene think people are the problem.

In a Christmas card Boebert proudly had her four young boys brandishing military-style semi-automatic assault rifles (AR-15s) in front of their Christmas tree, she shared in a Tweet, right after a deadly school shooting in Michigan.

Boebert is the owner of her gun-themed restaurant “Shooters Grill.” She has her waitstaff armed with guns and encourages all patrons to wear their guns proudly. She also had a hissy fit about not being able to bring her gun into the Capital and onto the House floor, according to the Washington Post. She shared a video on Twitter of her toting a Glock around Washington, D.C.

U.S. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, went as low as to harass David Hogg, a high school shooting survivor in Parkland, Florida, about his stance on gun control, according to News Week

Greene taunted the 21-year-old while he was walking from a conference because he advocates for more stringent gun control measures, according to Newweek. Hogg believes “people should be required to have a license to purchase a gun-drawing a comparison to people needing a license to drive a car, hunt, or cut hair,’” according to Newsweek.

Greene has been getting backlash for calling on Hogg to be “more masculine” and to “try hanging out with actual deer hunters” during several tweet exchanges, after Hoggmade the comment about needing a licens, according to Newsweek.

Hogg asked Congresswoman Greene how his “classmates’ rights including the Second Amendment were not infringed upon when they were killed in their classrooms,” according to Newsweek.

In a campaign ad, Greene is seen proudly shooting several kinds of automatic and semi-automatic guns. She makes it seem like the Democrats are out to take Americans guns. She does not seem to be able to conceptualize the thought of more diligent gun laws, which is what Hogg has been advocating for.

Greene and Boebert should start doing their jobs for their constituents, instead of harassing young victims on the street. It’s baffling how these two grown Congresswoman can’t see the difference between taking away Americans gun and having more extensive gun control and more rigorous background checks.