Within the span 24 hours during the past weekend, two mass shootings occurred in El Paso and Dayton. Together, 31 innocent people died, and many were injured. Recently, I was in Dayton and went to the Oregon District for lunch several times. It was considered one of the safest and most active areas in Dayton, a symbol of recovery since the heydays of manufacturing. No one saw a tragedy like this coming. We must ask ourselves, why does this keep happening? Why do innocent people die? Why are guns capable of holding over 100 bullets and killing scores of people in minutes legally getting into the hands of those who are willing to commit mass murder?

The issue is not a lack of support from the American people, as approximately 60% of Americans support stricter gun control, but the barrier on legislation put up by the gun lobbies, notably the NRA, and their power among many legislators. When other countries, have massacres, like Port Moresby, Australia in 1996, or New Zealand recently, they are quick to enact laws preventing such attacks again. In the US, which has more guns and gun death rates than any other country, the attacks are brushed off as an issue of mental health instead of addressing the obvious problem. Every country has people who are mentally unhealthy, but they don’t have mass shootings, because they keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of the public.

Of course, many gun rights advocates use the standard arguments of the 2nd amendment and self-defense. at the time of the founding fathers, a gun that could fire multiple bullets in less than a minute wasn’t even imaginable. When times change, so should laws. As for self-defense, why does anybody need a semi-automatic or automatic rifle to defend themselves? I am not a proponent for taking away all guns, as many use hunting rifles and pistols for recreation or legitimate self-defense, but certain guns should only be allowed in secure firing ranges where they can’t hurt dozens of people.

A potential solution to stop the senseless violence is quite simple (not politically, but logically). Make the sale of gun magazines that can hold above a certain amount of bullets illegal and/or make guns that can fire above a certain rate illegal. Both of these ideas would stop the mass killings that have plagued the US for far too long.

It is wrong to value nonessential “rights” over the lives of innocent people, or to have result in people living in fear. Politicians must refuse to do the dirty work of the gun industry and remember who they are supposed to serve, the American people.