In light of a series of recent mass shootings, it’s time for legislators to create laws to help reduce the number of gun-related tragedies in the U.S.
Seven people died and 25 were wounded in the most recent shooting in Midland-Odessa, Texas. This should have never happened, and it doesn’t make sense why no gun laws have changed in response to it. 
After a man killed 20 children in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, and no laws were passed, I knew the country was never going to change. 
The white men who want to keep their guns instead of helping protect other Americans, including innocent children, are largely to blame. 
As of Sept. 1, there have already been 283 mass shootings this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. 
Just 244 days into the year, nearly 10,000 lives were lost to gun violence. It is imperative that action be taken now.
People should be able to go to movie theaters, places of worship and schools without fearing for their lives. 
The U.S. is a place of refuge for many fleeing their countries of origin, but it seems pretty dangerous here, too. We have detention centers for those hoping to find safety. We are slowly stripping rights away from women. The least we could do to improve this country is to pass stricter gun laws.
There should be a waiting period before people can obtain guns because it could potentially keep prospective gun buyers from making rash decisions and carrying out violent acts with guns, such as committing mass shootings. 
People should pass several background checks before being able to own a gun. People who have been to jail for violent crimes shouldn’t be able to buy guns. Those with proven dispositions to violence should not have gun access period, especially easy access to weapons that could kill dozens of people in a matter of seconds.
Guns and ammunition should be less accessible. You can buy ammunition for guns at many popular retail outlets. People should not be able to buy bullets at a place where groceries are sold. 
I am not suggesting that guns be taken away from people, but they should be harder for people to obtain. People should have to take a class showing them how to safely use their guns, and only qualified individuals should be able to purchase them to begin with.
When someone is buying a gun, they should have to list the reasons they want it. If the reason isn’t to protect themselves or to legally hunt animals, they should be turned away. If they give an answer that is suspicious, authorities should have to investigate. 
The Second Amendment gives U.S. citizens the right to keep and bear arms. The type of guns that we have today didn’t exist when the constitution was written. There wasn’t the same accessibility to high-powered guns that we have today. 
America is different now, and the constitution should change to reflect that. The Second Amendment needs to be revised to accommodate the citizens of the U.S. in 2019, not in 1787. 
Ashlon Lusk is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Houston, Texas.