On Feb. 13, a mass shooting took place on Michigan State’s college campus. There were five students who were severely wounded and three left dead. Everybody is getting sick and tired of hearing about all these tragic shootings on the news. How are students expected to feel safe in schools and public areas when tragedies like this happen all the time? There needs to be a change in the laws and restrictions of weapons to make schools safe again.

According to laws in the United States, people with mental illnesses, criminal records and more are not allowed to legally own weapons. But the shooter at Michigan State had a criminal record and was mentally ill. Why was he allowed to own a weapon legally? Another law is that Americans don’t always have to undergo a background check when purchasing a weapon.  So really, anyone can purchase a weapon. This law should be changed so it’s required for  everyone to undergo more detailed background checks to prevent firearms falling into the hands of bad people.

In 2022, there were 642 mass shootings and there were even more in 2021. 30% of these shootings took place in schools. There needs to be changes to ensure the safety of students while at school. There are many things that can be and should be done to make school a safer place.

If shootings keep happening, why would students want to go to college? Students shouldn’t have to go to school everyday in fear that something horrible could possibly happen. That’s why they should increase security in school buildings like Park or college campuses. Park has a school officer who I don’t see often. I’m sure it would be safer if there were more officers present and possibly one for each floor.

In general, all these violent tragedies need to be stopped. There have been way too many shootings and there doesn’t seem to be any change happening. By fixing gun laws and making schools safer, this can bring the number of mass shootings down significantly. It’s important for students to be able to feel safe while at school.