The spectrum is extremely wide when it comes to the control of firearms. For centuries, people have had differing views on whether a person’s firearms should be controlled by the people or if the government should make sure the people owning guns are safe. This subject is an extremely important topic in the 2016 presidential race, and has been for many years. While views based on personal beliefs are important, facts are facts, and the U.S. needs to make sure that people are safer and more cautious while in the presence of firearms.

President Barack Obama has always been known as a liberal man, and he agrees with the second amendment to an extent. In the aftermath of the Oct. 1 shooting in Oregon, with 10 killed, President Obama is calling for far more gun control laws. There is nearly one gun for every man, woman and child in America, and that there is no possible way that more guns will make us safer.

Minnesota is the eighth state with fewest gun-related deaths, having an average of 7.6 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people, compared to Arkansas’ nearly 20 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people. Minnesota does take many precautions to make sure that death by firearm is not an option, and thef act that Minnesota takes so many precautions is where the controversy begins.

“I feel like Minnesota has a healthy respect for gun danger,” AP U.S. History and Psychology teacher Michael Kaul said. “I’m gonna be honest and say that Minnesota generally feels more safe from crime than other states do. I consider our state a hunting state that obeys the rules and uses guns cautiously.” Kaul added, “I grew up in South Dakota, we had loaded firearms everywhere. I come from a gun culture, but I am not a fan of guns unless it is for defense or hunting.”

When it comes to something as scary and realistic as gun control and gun violence, people can take many different views on the topic. It is an extremely real subject that people usually do not think about because it does not affect them. There are many different views based on religion and political party for people it does affect.

“It’s scary really,” sophomore Cat Clements said. “I find it frightening that so many people possess something that can easily end the lives of living things.” She continued on, saying, “It doesn’t personally affect me, because I don’t hunt or own any guns in general or anything, but it scares me.”

While some may say that the United States does not have nay issues relating to gun control/gun violence, there have been thousands of gun-related deaths in the U.S. in the past few years. Most of which were accidental murders caused by people who are not mature enough to bear arms or do not have the license for it. The U.S. now needs to take extremely cautious measures in order to make this country a place where it is safe to own a gun, and follow President Obama’s words, “more gun laws lead to fewer gun related deaths.”

“If anything else was killing people at the rate that guns currently are, our government would be acting immediately,” junior Corri Gardner said. “There would be extreme riots and the people would be outraged in a state of emergency,” Gardner added. “I don’t know why we aren’t taking as many precautions as we truly can when facts are facts and guns kill a massive amount of people.”

Although there is a wide spectrum of opinions, facts truly are facts. Gun laws must be harsher. There have been too many deaths from ignorant and mentally ill people to ignore the fact that people who own firearms need to be safer and need to realize that they have the ability to end the life of so many living things.