Editor’s note: This article is a part of a head-to-head. Read the other article here. 
The recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, will go down in history as one of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in American history.
This shooting, like those before, has sparked a national debate over gun control in America. It is different than other shootings in one key aspect: the strong students affected by this shooting are speaking up and exposing the public’s protection of guns over human lives like never before.
Every time the gun control debate comes alive, those who oppose strict regulation point to mental health and the sanctity of the Second Amendment. At what point will the sanctity of life outweigh that of an AR-15 killing machine?
The Second Amendment grants Americans the right to, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Nowhere in the Second Amendment does it prohibit gun control or stipulate how strict government enforcement should be to protect citizens. Lawmakers know they can act, yet America continues to have more gun-related deaths per capita than any other country on the globe.
Lives from this high school community, and so many others, were abruptly ended by the use of a weapon that civilians should not have access to. It is utterly disgusting that politicians will not act to regulate these weapons and work to keep them out of the hands of evil individuals.
The National Rifle Association, the largest gun owner association in the country, has such a grip on government that many representatives are simply too scared to act. It is estimated the NRA has spent over $203 million on political activity since 1998.
The well-spoken students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have the right to ask Congressmen why they take money from this organization, and why they refuse to do something about assault rifles in America. They are not too young. They are not posers. They are correct in standing for tougher regulation.
The notion that mental health is to blame is a load of garbage spoon-fed to officials as talking points to distract from the fact that guns are the issue.
The mental health narrative is deployed to distract Americans from the facts. Gun violence in America is directly related to the number of guns.
“Public perception does not reflect reality. Most individuals with psychiatric disorders are nonviolent,” a Harvard Mental Health letter reported in 2011.
It is no coincidence the mental illness fallacy is an NRA talking point, as well. President Donald Trump and lawmakers supported by the NRA are all on the same page. Despite the fact that experts find no general applicable link between mental illness and mass shootings, several government officials insist mental illness is to blame.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five U.S. adults suffer from some sort of mental illness. Cases of mental illness are not exceedingly higher in America compared to other countries, yet Americans are 10 times more likely to die by being shot than any other wealthy country in the world.
Let’s think practically. People who serve in the military and in policing have access to weapons not given to common citizens. These individuals are vetted and go through training. The process includes background checks, and mental and physical fitness evaluations.
Why do common citizens deserve a less rigorous vetting process for ownership of military-style weaponry?
Frankly speaking, before agreeing with the corrupt NRA gun consortium, consider the facts. Yet another young white male with prejudicial views and anger issues who should never have been able to access a weapon of war killed 17 Americans. Thousands of Americans die because of lax gun control, and the AR-15 is becoming the mass shooter’s weapon of choice. If stricter gun laws and banning the AR-15 rifle saves one American life, it is worth it.
Justin Franklin is a 19-year-old political communication freshman from Memphis, Tennessee.