The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 28

March 30, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 11 In years past, gun control has been a contentious issue at all levels of politics. Debates over gun control have been a key fixture in political campaigns for as long as I can remember. With recent events, gun control has made its way back into the forefront of national news. So far, there have been 108 mass shootings in the U.S. according to the Gun Violence Archive, with two of those happening in the last few weeks and the most recent of which happened last Monday in Colorado. Last Monday, a shooting happened in Boulder, CO at a King Soopers Supermarket that claimed the lives of 10 people. The investigation is ongoing and is already being covered by major media outlets, so I will not be rehashing what they have to say for you. Instead, we need to talk about the National Rifle Association’s contribution to this mass shooting. The National Rifle Association (NRA) struck down an ordinance put in place by the city of Boulder that banned assault weapons, which included the weapon used in the King Soopers shooting. This Boulder city ordinance was blocked only 10 days before the King Soopers shooting and allowed for the suspect to purchase a firearm that the city of Boulder deemed dangerous and illegal, killing 10 people with it. Once again, the National Rifle Association’s hands are dripping in the blood of mass shooting victims. There are those that claim now is not the time to discuss such a heavy topic and that we should give people time to grieve, but when is the proper time to have this discussion? Should take place after this shooting is out of the news and when another mass shooting takes place? Is that the right time? As former president Bill Clinton tweeted in 2019, “How many more people have to die before we reinstate the assault weapons ban & limit on high- capacity magazines & pass universal background checks?” How many people need to die before this country takes this issue seriously? Is there not already enough blood on the hands of the NRA and the cowardly politicians that take their blood-stained checks? Following the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in 1996, the Australian government put into effect a ban on automatic and semiautomatic weapons. Since this ban went into effect, Australia has seen a massive decrease in the rates of mass shootings. This is the kind of action we need in the U.S. Instead of sending their thoughts and prayers, politicians need to stand up for the victims of mass shootings and actually put laws in place to prevent even more deaths. Opinions Trans youth deserve to be protected Jaden Wilson Contributing Writer When will their lives be worth change? Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor Printed Permission from Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash 1,300+ school shootings since the 1970s. 1 out of every 5 firearms purchases in the U.S. is an AR-15 style rifle 183 public mass shootings since Texas Tower 2,430 victims of active shooter incidents from 2000-2018 On March 2, the state of Alabama voted tomake hormone therapy and gender affirmation surgeries for transgender youth a felony. This bill would make it a felony for medical professionals to treat transgender people under the age of 19 with gender- affirming care, and violators could face up to 10 years in prison or a $15,000 fine. Shay Shelnutt, a member of the Alabama senate, explained that “Children aren’t mature enough to make these decisions on surgeries and drugs. The whole point is to protect kids.” Now, that statement right there is the most disappointing thing that I’ve ever heard. Imagine how difficult the process already is to receive gender-affirming care, and then, lawmakers make it even more dangerous by passing a bill like this. It seems like Shelnutt was just trying to figure out a way to justify voting on this bill when clearly the real reason for passing this bill is his transphobia. It is even more saddening to hear that Shelnutt has never even spoken to a transgender child before and has no prior knowledge of the process of receiving gender-affirming care. It is extremely disappointing to see this bill being passed because it feels like a step back for transgender rights in America. We have come so far in the fight for transgender rights in this country and it’s not okay for bills like this to be passed when we need to be becoming a more progressive country and vote on bills that will allow rights that will benefit everyone. Not only is this bill harmful to the transgender community as a whole, it is specifically detrimental to transgender youth, which are the most vulnerable group of people in the community. It’s important that we protect these children from being statistics and from the danger that their mental health could bring upon them after facing the rejection of their identities from society. With Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, this bill is even more disheartening as we are meant to celebrate the identities of people who represent a strong force amongst the LGBTQ+ community. On this day, we are meant to celebrate the accomplishments of transgender/gender non-conforming people and spread awareness of the work that still needs to be done to achieve justice for this community. There’s no compassion in passing this bill, and there’s no fairness in passing a bill that ostracizes a group of people simply being themselves and living their truth. 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