By Josh Virany ’22, News Writer

According to the Gun Violence Archive, over 104 mass shootings, when four or more people are shot resulting in injury or death, have occurred already in 2021. When the organization reported the data on March 23rd, it had only been 82 days into 2021. To put that in perspective, that means there was, on average, one mass shooting each day of 2021; at least 416 individuals have been shot. Year after year, the number of mass shootings in the United States has increased and 2021 is no different. On the same date in 2020, 66 mass shootings had been recorded by Gun Violence America. In 2021, that number was 57% higher, proving that mass shootings and gun violence are on the rise in the United States. 

The problem of gun violence is clear; however, the solutions are far from simple. For years, Congress has been in a deadlock over passing comprehensive gun control legislation. In general, most Democratic lawmakers have argued for and voted in favor of stricter gun laws while most Republican lawmakers have voted against these laws, claiming that they infringe upon the Second Amendment. The ensuing stalemate in Congress has led to minimal changes to gun laws as demonstrated by the continuous rise in mass shootings, making it all the more important for citizens to rally together and use their collective voice to call for sweeping change. A poll conducted by Pew Research Center found that 60% of Americans believe that gun laws should be stricter, up 8% since 2017. Of the Democrats who participated in the survey, 86% said that gun laws should be stricter, while only 31% of Republicans agreed with implementing stricter laws. While 31% is not a majority of Republicans, there is enough of a presence of supporters in the party to call on their representatives in Congress to support stricter gun legislation. 

Furthermore, advocacy groups such as March for Our Lives and Students Demand Action have an extremely effective and important platform that connect people from all over the country to draft solutions to gun violence and lobby congressional officials. For example, on the March for Our Lives website, the organization has outlined a comprehensive plan that calls for change to the standards of gun ownership, appointment of a Director of Gun Violence Prevention, and many other significant reforms. A section of this document also demands specific government responses to the gun violence issue through increasing funds for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and through educating Americans about the risks of guns. Not only do these organizations lobby government officials, but they also have established outreach programs that have reached millions of people through different forms of media. As a result, there are many more individuals that are aware of the gun violence issue. The more societal awareness there is about gun violence, the more likely an individual will be able to stop an incident before it happens. The work of March for Our Lives along with Students Demand Action has already had a substantial impact in fighting gun violence and and plan to continue to call on legislators to pass stricter gun laws through events such as Gun Violence Awareness Month. 

Finally, it is important to recognize the 18 people killed in the Atlanta, Georgia and Boulder, Colorado shootings that occurred in the month of March. After these shootings, congressional officials on both sides of the aisle agreed on the need for reform to current gun laws. While Democrats and Republicans may disagree on how to reform the current laws, there is good reason for optimism as the Senate plans to hold hearings on a bill that passed in the House of Representatives several weeks ago. According to Jim Kessler of Third Way, this bill “would be the most significant expansion of background checks in 28 years.” Although many believe that this bill will not pass in the senate because of the filibuster in place, it could signal larger gun reform in the future.