“I think that there should be some kind of [gun] control, but not necessarily banning of all guns. If you need an AR-15 to hunt, then you must suck at hunting.” —sophomore Jill Dodson

“I believe there should be more ‘in-depth’ background checks.” —sophomore Izzy McBurnett

“I love the idea that some states have taken it into their own hands and will not sell guns to anyone under the age of 21.” —Child Development Teacher Pat Betzner

“I find it ridiculous that people need machine guns, you won’t use it to hunt, it’s just pointless.” —sophomore Maggie Padon

“I understand that families may need it to protect their homes and hunters need it to hunt. If you’re not hunting or protecting your home, what do you need one for?” —freshman Sam Schaffer

“What the NRA is trying to protect is dumb. I support gun rights, I just think that not being able to purchase a handgun until you’re 21 but an AR-15 at 18 is plain stupid.” —freshman Greyson Heine

“Ultimately, guns should be banned or mostly banned, but I think we should start by just implementing stricter restrictions.” —senior Chloe Curry

“I think the whole point of the 2nd Amendment and gun laws is to prevent a tyrannical government, and I believe that the people should have this influence so the government doesn’t end up becoming oppressive.” —junior George Sayegh

“There should be background checks and stricter checks on people with mental health problems. I don’t think people should have their guns taken away, they still have the right to keep them.” —senior Alex Minors

“Guns should not be available to younger generations because they seem to have been more of a weapon of violence than something used to protect.” —junior Saanya Bhargaua

“I definitely think there should be some restrictions on guns, and I think putting guns in the hands of teachers poses just as much of a problem as putting guns in the hands of youth.” —senior Ty Bock

“My ideal world is a world without guns, but since that’s not realistic I think there should be many restrictions on guns, and they should be the hardest thing to get.” —senior Caleb Dukes

“People have a Second Amendment right to bear arms to protect themselves whether it’s a handgun or high-caliber weapon.” —junior Michael Sams

“To be honest, I’m not really sure what will solve the problem. I think mental health is a big part of it. If someone is unstable enough and in so much pain, they could create mass tragedies if they wanted to whether it’s getting a gun or making homemade bombs. I still think that if guns were better regulated, then it would be harder for these kinds of people to get ahold of them. However, this should be combined with better mental health care programs.” —junior Vivian Nguyen

“I object to most people’s opinions in support of gun control because most people are uninformed. For example, the call for a ban on only semi-automatic weapons is misinforming to uneducated people. Semi-automatic means if the trigger is pulled once, one bullet will come out. Aside from bolt action rifles and powder weapons, all guns are semi-automatic. In addition, people claim it is really easy to avoid background checks and claim there is a gun show loophole. These people clearly have never bought a gun before. There is no such thing as a gun show loophole. In fact, to try and prove this loophole existed, a Chicago writer went to a gun show to buy a gun, but he was rejected because he had a history of alcoholism and domestic abuse. Finally, people cite Australia as an example for gun control as they have banned all guns. Despite banning all guns, Australian rate of violent crime has not see significant rates of decrease. So in Australia, people are still killing and committing violent crime just without guns. The Second Amendment was included to protect citizens from tyranny at home and abroad. If police and the government are the only people with guns, what will stop them from using those guns to take our rights. Or, if North Korea invaded tomorrow, how would we be able to protect ourselves and our families? Finally, no amount of mandates or legal actions will stop determined criminals from obtaining guns, so restricting guns will only disarm law-abiding citizens who are looking to protect themselves from criminals.” —junior Wyatt Smith

“The problem isn’t people having guns. The problem is that people who own guns aren’t using them responsibly. Taking away their guns won’t fix that. People have the right to bear arms as stated by the Second Amendment. We need to work on better mental health programs and not taking away guns.” —junior Zayd Hinedi

“Guns damage families. I think hunting guns are fine, but military-issued guns shouldn’t be allowed. There’s no reason anyone would need them, and it’s just a dangerous responsibility.” — junior Isabelle Gonzales

“People shouldn’t need guns. There needs to be stricter regulations of guns and deeper background checks. It is so easy to acquire a gun, and so many incidents that have occurred through people legally buying guns even though they have a bad record.”—freshman Nitya Prakash

“The people wanting to inflict harm, like if they’re deranged or mentally unstable, will still illegally acquire guns, but law-abiding citizens won’t have anything to protect themselves with.” —sophomore Garrison Abide

”I think that even with tight restrictions, we still can not prevent all bad guys from getting guns, but it certainly won’t hurt to still intensify the process of acquiring a gun. It will ultimately decrease the likelihood [of gun violence].” – sophomore Timothy Mosher

“With our current laws, anyone can have a gun, and guns are dangerous. I think more control is necessary.” —sophomore Phoebe Wang

“I think more gun control is justified. People refer a lot to the Constitution, but that was written when they had muskets. It wasn’t like anyone could go and buy an AR-15.”  —sophomore William Abbott