It is too easy in today’s world to purchase things that could be a danger to others.

At the top of this list would have to be assault weapons, which includes semi-automatic rifles. These can be lethal if they end up in the wrong hands. But what makes this issue so troubling is how they end up in the wrong hands; they are bought by people who should not have them. The time has come to stop ignoring this issue.

Assault weapons must be banned from the general public. Having nearly half the population possessing firearms that could be a danger to themselves and people around them is not acceptable. There have been shootings at many schools across the nation, and people who should not have had these guns in the first place caused all of these shootings. These tragedies are spread out across America; they could happen anywhere if gun sales are not limited, even in Kansas.

The lists of mass killings caused by people with assault weapons goes on and on. The Virginia Tech shooting was particularly awful. Some say that bullying was the ultimate cause of this disaster, while I can see the logic behind that, multiple lives would not have been at risk if the shooter did not have a rifle in the first place. The same can be said for the killings at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Conn. and the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Col.

I would now like to bring forth what has to be the most inconsiderate saying on planet earth, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” What the people who believe in this slogan are saying is that we should accept mass killings for what they are and go about our day. Anybody with a decent education knows that people could not kill as many people in a short amount of time as someone could do with an assault rifle.

Assault weapons should be banned from the general public. Anyone who agrees with this statement should speak up, for example, send a letter of suggestion to major companies who manufacture or sell guns. Let your elected officials know how you feel. Never be afraid to solve a problem that could threaten our future generations.