By Ashley Berry

Once again we are faced with a devastating school shooting. A gunman went on a rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon on date. During the attack, nine people tragically lost their lives while others were grievously wounded. The gunman, whose name will not be mentioned, set off on his rampage through the college armed with six guns, a flak jacket, and enough ammunition to spread terror and destruction.

As the victims and families begin to both recover and heal, we learn again how devastating mass shootings can be on our communities, but yet even in the face of danger, heroic people can prevail. J.J. Vicari, a student who was present at the school during the time of the shooting, texted his girlfriend, “I want to tell you I love you,” and “I’m scared.” He recalls that a female classmate ran into the hallway to investigate the noise. She ran back into the classroom to warn them to close the door, but she was already wounded. While she struggled for her life, her classmates attempted to keep her alive. Another student and military veteran Chris Mintz risked his own life by trying to block a door of a classroom, which in turn saved the lives of his classmates. Mintz was shot multiple times and his legs were also broken, but he remains in stable condition.

This is just the latest in a horrible string of shootings. The victims of these senseless crimes are not people who are putting themselves in violent situations. They’re shopping, going to school or watching a movie. These are normal activities that should not result in fear. It is asinine that after all the tragedy lawmakers are still unwilling to concede with gun control legislation.

A common argument offered by pro-gun enthusiasts is that people who commit these horrendous acts obtained the guns by illegal means. In the instance of the UCC shooting, this is not the case. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said that the gunman owned 14 guns in total and that, “all 14 [guns] have been traced to a federal firearms dealer,” said Ms. Nunez, the assistant special agent in charge of the Seattle field office, who confirmed all guns used in the shooting were purchased legally. In this case, gun control laws could have saved the lives of the students who were only trying to better themselves through education. SMCC is a college very similar to UCC, and as horrible as it is to think about, this violence could very easily find its way to our school. We must take a stand against this destruction. Without an intervention these mass shootings will continue, and more people will senselessly lose their lives.

Australian comedian Jim Jefferies summed up the whole argument perfectly: “I understand that Australia and America are two vastly different cultures with two vastly different people. In Australia, we had the biggest massacre on Earth and the Australian government went, ‘That’s it, no more guns!’ And we all went, ‘Yeah, right then, that seems fair enough.’ Now in America, you have the Sandy Hook Massacre where tiny little children died and your government went, “Maybe we’ll get rid of big guns.” And fifty percent of you said, “Fuck you, don’t take my guns!”

The Beacon would like to send our condolences to the victims, families and students of Umpqua Community College. We hope that some good comes from this terrible violence. There is no reason for these heinous acts of violence to continue.