Kindergartener Daniel Barden was killed in 2012 by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Lanza, classified as mentally unstable after the attack, stole his mother’s guns to execute the shooting. Barden’s dad, Mark, introduced an emotional President Barack Obama before Obama addressed the gun violence issue that’s been plaguing the nation. Now, Obama is calling for more intense background checks for gun buyers in hopes of limiting gun-related deaths in the U.S.A, according to CNN.com.

Shortly after Obama’s courageous address, the naysayers of America responded by talking about the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Well, sorry, it is no longer 1791 and frankly, the times have changed. In the 18th century, at the cusp of the American Revolution, people were more focused on fighting for freedom and for the most part, everyone was on the same side: independence. But today, the United States is so different.

With the recent mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, several gang-related shootings across the country, and other mass shootings, people can’t feel safe anywhere. The worst part is, most of these deaths are because of random acts of violence, not cases of self-defense or a desire for freedom.

How is America supposed to amend this issue? Not by giving everyone the privilege to obtain a concealed weapon because it has been proven countless times that everyone does not deserve that right.

Maybe if background checks were more thorough, people would not have to worry about going to see a movie on a Friday night. Maybe there would not be as much controversy if mass shooters should be allowed to defend themselves with claims of mental health issues. Maybe a 5-year-old boy would not have died at the hands of gun violence. America needs to step out of it’s own zone of comfort and take the risk that is needed to possibly save another life because trying to do absolutely nothing is not resolving any issues.

Instead of demolishing the Second Amendment right all together, Obama simply altered it. The White House plans to expand background checks for buyers by making people who sell guns register as licensed dealers, attempting to reduce the number of individuals who illegally sell weapons, according to CNN.com.

Since 2013, the national support for stricter gun laws has been less than 50 percent, with the overwhelming 74 percent of support coming from democrats. Obama, rightfully so, criticized Republican candidates like Donald Trump who are not in favor of expanding gun control laws. Trump claims that, “All [democrats] want to do is blame the guns. And it is not the gun that pulls the trigger,” according to CNN.com.

Well, obviously guns are not to blame. That’s not the point Obama is trying to push. Obama wants to try and hone in on one of the most efficient ways to solve the probl

em; taking away the guns from the people who use them to cause harm. So maybe one day, when we turn on our televisions, there won’t be a report of a mass shooter taking innocent lives because he had a gun at his disposal.

Art by Adanma Ojukwu