Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Raider Times staff nor its advisor.

Gun violence in the United States has exploded into astronomical proportions. There have been numerous mass shootings throughout this last decade. All have affected communities throughout the nation. They have even affected the Watertown High School community as well.

The most recent act of gun violence that has affected Watertown High School students is the Newtown, Connecticut shootings. On Friday December 14, 2012, a man by the name of Adam Lanza, 20 years old, shot his mother and then stole her guns. He walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary School armed with three guns, a Bushmaster .223 semi-automatic rifle, and a Glock 9mm handgun, along with a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun. During his attack, he killed 20 students, six teachers, and then took his own life.

There are many questions about this situation. Did the shooter have a mental issue? Should gun shop owners do more thorough background checks on their customers to make sure they are stable to own a gun or even operate one?

Watertown High School senior Nicole Mendez said, “The gun distributers should take more of a precaution with whom they sell guns to, and make sure that person knows the appropriate times when to use them.  That way safety becomes less of an issue.”

During the summer of 2012, there was another huge gun attack. On July 20, 2012, at The Dark Knight Rises movie premiere, 24-year-old James Holmes walked into a crowded theater and opened fire. The crowd thought it was an act for the premiere of the show, but tragically it wasn’t. James Holmes, who referred to himself as “The Joker”, killed 12 people, and injured 58 others. This tragic event had a big effect on some Watertown High School students as well. Senior at Watertown High School, Edwin Naranjo said, “When I first heard about the shootings, I was hesitant whether or not to go to movie theaters for a while.”

With all of these shootings, people wonder, why is it that some human beings would have the desire to kill? Mendez said, “I believe that these mass shootings are caused by influences. That they act as influences for people who already have the desire to kill, that is why copy cat actions occurs after mass massacres. It’s not the guns that kill people; it’s the people who kill people.”

Illegal gun purchases over the black market, as well as purchases through an unlicensed gun dealer, or killing to obtain a gun are usually the primary cases in a gunman’s killing spree. If the black-marketed sites were monitored and examined more carefully, this could prevent other mass shootings from happening again. Thus, proving that gun control is only part of the issue at hand. The black market and theft are two of the most common ways for an ordinary citizen to get their hands on a gun. Society needs to do more thorough background checks on who gets control of gun use in the United States.