Miriam Itzkowitz, Year 9

I think it’s fair to say that these past few weeks, while we were on holidays, were quite eventful. We had the High Holy Days and various other fun and exciting activities. Unfortunately, there were some quite traumatic and upsetting events as well. Hurricanes and tornadoes hit American territory and in Las Vegas an enormous massacre took place. I would like to shed some light on this massacre.

Being an American citizen, I feel obligated to express my concerns with the American government wherever I can, including at school. The Las Vegas Massacre has resulted in over 50 deaths and over 500 innocent civilians injured. The person responsible for all this damage was a man who had in his possession more than 10 guns, which he smuggled into his hotel. Of course, this raised some concerns regarding the American gun laws, which obviously after an incident like this, are in question. As many people know, the main reason any American has permission to carry a gun, is purely based on the Second Amendment, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” While this may have made sense in the 17^th Century, does it make sense to follow and observe now?

One thing that’s really nice, after all these terrible incidents, people instantaneously gather on social media to express their love and support for the victims of these tragic incidents. I hate to play devil’s advocate, but what does this achieve? While people sharing love and support is touching, there is no way that spreading love on social media is actually going to help or benefit these victims, and even if it makes their day to see this ongoing support, it won’t change what happened and it certainly won’t change these darkened memories of what was supposed to have been an enjoyable evening. I’m not saying that these intentions aren’t admirable, but hashtag-ing about it is utterly futile. Once gathered online, why not try to find a solution? Look at statistics, write to politicians. It does not matter whether you are American. This affects everyone because it affects humanity.

This incident could theoretically have been avoided. I believe that if America had the correct people in power, who understood the depths to which these innocent lives are suffering, they would be a bit more empathetic. The current American power is Republican, and many of these people regard the Constitution as though it is the Bible. Many Republicans believe that they should have the “right to bear arms”. After the Orlando incident last year, senators were given the opportunity, a few days later, to vote for a bill that would have enabled more difficulty in purchasing guns, i.e. background checks and the preventing of people with a severe mental disorder the ability to purchase a gun, however, 56 senators decided against it, even after the worst massacre in America history, at the time. This says something about the American congressional system, and reflects the many flaws that this country attempts to push under the rug.

Many, if not most Americans, especially Republicans, are “Pro-Life”. This entails being against abortion and euthanasia. Those 56 Republican senators are saying that we need to pray and that their thoughts and prayers are with those affected. But to those people who are allegedly “pro-life”, why are you more willing to protect a foetus or someone who wants to die, over people who were trying to enjoy life and ended up losing theirs? Because these alleged “representatives” decided that following a piece of paper signed over 200 years ago, is more important than the public’s safety, for which they are responsible. They are supposed to represent the public, but most Americans believe that there should be restrictions on who obtains a gun and who does not. Yes, that includes both Democrats and Republicans. The senators’ one job is to represent the states, yet they’ve even failed at that, being well aware the stances that most Americans hold.

We’ve established that some people are pro-life, while others are pro-choice. I am proposing a new idea. We should all be pro-active. No person should have to fear for their life everyday just because someone could shoot them. When my father moved here from America, he and my mother were watching the news that was recounting the number of murders in Australia that year. My father was astounded because that was the number of murders in any given day in America. While living in America, my father was held up four times before he was 30, twice by a gun, twice by a knife, the first time being when he was only eight. Evidently, there has been this problem in the States for a while, but no child, or any person for that matter, should ever have to experience this. Now, there are many reasons for this. America is a bigger country, and therefore, in numbers, more people are likely to die. However, every country has deaths via age, health, vehicle accidents, suicide, drugs etc., but no developed country has anywhere near as many murders as America does. Additionally, each state has its own gun laws, and unfortunately in the State of Nevada (where Las Vegas is) there is no requirement for a gun license or background checks, so this very example makes massacres such as these much more confronting, knowing that there are multiple ways to prevent these horrible events, but at the same time, showing that no one is doing anything about it.

So yes, we’ve congregated on social media, but now, regardless of political belief, let’s work together to stop gun violence. In my lifetime, there have so far been two records set of the worst massacre in American history. That’s nothing to be proud of, in fact, it should be something that Americans should be greatly ashamed of. The Second Amendment needs to be reinterpreted or even changed so inhumane events such as this don’t occur as often as they already do. American citizens need to realise that whether or not they have the right to a gun, does not mean that they can abuse that right and shoot people left, right and centre and they should start acting like civilised citizens of the most powerful nation. People’s lives are more important than a piece of paper signed hundreds of years ago. Which takes precedence over the other: someone’s right to live or wanting to preserve a historical document?

Lastly, after incidents such as these, there are many American politicians who say that it’s not the right time to talk about the gun laws. I’m sorry, but when is there a right time? It seems that whenever this happens, the topic is censured for just long enough for people to move onto other news. This isn’t right. As global citizens, it is all of our responsibilities to create a safer world to prevent incidents, such as this, to ever occur again. Gun violence is never OK. We live in such a challenging world already, with terrible things happening everyday. And while we can’t control natural disasters, we can offer support for each other. But if we work together, we can prevent massacres. America needs cheaper medical care, so they can care for people with mental disorders, they need better gun control and most importantly, less abuse over the Second Amendment.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday otherwise, and I hope this article provides some insight, as well as potentially provoking discussion about the ethical issues presented in America and what we, as Australians and global citizens, can do.