Why are students taught to defend themselves? Why must they know to barricade doors? Why are they expected to drop under the table to hide? Why must they stay silent and “act like they are asleep?” (The Guardian). To keep the elite happy.

Gun shootings, especially at school where young innocent children are present, have happened so many times that we have almost become numb to it. How many more children will be shot until something is done by our elected lawmakers? There does not seem to ever be an end to these tragic events. Public officials give out their prayers and condolences over social media, come out on mainstream television to express their sympathy, and visit the location of the incident only to repeat this with the next shooting. The issue has become not only regarding gun violence and the lack of gun control, but the influence of money in politics in the United States.

Special interests like the National Rifle Association (NRA) exist to protect their own agenda, above anyone else’s. From the BBC, it was reported that the NRA spends as much as $250 million dollars to understand the immense size of their budget. Of that substantial amount, about $3 million dollars are used in order to influence politics. Lawmakers are focused on their reelections, how to maintain integrity while going to the greatest extent possible to simultaneously reach the funds needed to run another campaign. It is for certain that a lot more millions of dollars are being spent in other ways that are not clearly reported for the public to consume. Independent contributions, for instance, are difficult to track. There is so much power that money holds, regardless of the countless thoughts and prayers after a shooting occurs.

The NRA has done anything possible to fight off all forms of gun control for matters of defense. Yet, kids do not have an option but to hide and hope that they can walk out of that classroom alive to see their parents and friends again. The students of Sandy Hook, Columbine, Parkland, and hundreds of others have been sacrificed, traumatized, left lonely, and with no resolution. These injustices not only happen at schools, but it is the most devastating place that has become very common among school shooters yet we still let money influence our laws. Rather, money is being invested by these large special interest groups to stop the creation of new laws that have the power to change the narrative of innocent lives being lost to protect the few elites at the top and their right to owning a gun.

In the most recent Uvalde school shooting in Texas, once again gun control was suggested. Tighter gun sales, background checks, school securities are all ideas we have all heard over and over. For the United States being land of the free, it is ironically not so free when another fellow citizen barges into the same room with a gun in hand. Other countries do not seem to have the same problems, it is only in this country where we have so many rights on paper but little to no rights to live because someone wants the right to own a gun. There is a time and place, but money in politics has gone too far and the system has been broken for an unreasonable amount of time.

While some may argue that it is their second amendment right derived from the United States Constitution, what is not a right is losing children, traumatizing those who survived, nor is owning a weapon with military grade. These are not necessarily elements that were considered when that second amendment was passed. Those who defend the amendment are being selfish, because what if it was their child at the mercy of the school shooter? I bet they would feel a lot different then. Owning such a powerful weapon that can shoot rapidly and cause devastating mass shootings especially at the most innocent places 

Ultimately, this matter has gotten out of hand many many shootings ago. The norm is to express sorrow and promise that something will be done, yet nothing changes each time. We can reflect on the past and what could have been done differently, but there is no happy ending to these series of events. It is time for the government to stop listening to the special interest groups that whisper into their ear and stuff their pockets with money. It is time to stop putting money first and we need to look out for one another because this is our own innocent people dying at a very high cost. Lawmakers are listening to the small group of people that can catch their attention waving money in their face, instead of the silent majority that has come to a consensus for urging gun reform. Silent because money gives power. Sadly money does run politics, and at the cost of hundreds and hundreds of lives.

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