In a time of year where holiday cheer is usually present, it doesn't seem to be the case after last week's list of tragedies with the Oregon mall shooting, the bomb threat to a teacher at a Cupertino high school, and now the elementary school shooting in Connecticut.
Though the bomb threat at Monta Vista High School came up empty, it was not so for Sandy Hook Elementary's shooting in Connecticut, coercing citizens in thinking twice about gun regulations and health.
“It's really sad what's happened, and that so many kids and families have been effected,” said Robin Lee-Tieh, 47, a student at De Anza College and a parent of a teenage daughter. “It seems like a warning for our country to keep people healthy mentally. I mean it's obvious he [Adam Lanza] was mentally ill and needed help.”
Lee-Tieh also said it's important keeping kids occupied after school to stay out of trouble.
ABC News has reported 31 mass shootings since Columbine in 1999, causing debate over the 2nd Amendment.
Instead of eliminating guns altogether though, Caleb Seaton, 26, a Cupertino barista believes guns should be harder to come by, avoiding infringement on people's rights.
“I think it's a tough one. If I'm not mistaken, the shootings happened in states that are more strict on gun control,” Seaton said.
He also said easing up on gun control could possibly decrease the amount of shootings based on people having their own protection, but then again, more guns could also mean more shootings.
“I think that people should be able to own or carry whatever they want, just make it harder to obtain in general.”
In order for police enforcement to be issued a gun, they have an extensive list of background checks, psychological profiling, extensive firearms training and much more, yet citizens can purchase guns if they have a license because it's a right.
Others want more protection on school campuses, including Homeland Security consultant Thomas Panuzio. Panuzio told ABC 4 News, “We must recognize that we are not doing enough on a national level to protect these kids.”
“You think that it would get better, but it doesn't change,” said a Lynbrook High alumni, George Mumaw, 52. “Evil is evil, and it's always going to be there. What they need to do is keep police in every elementary, middle and high school in America; they already do for the colleges. Once the kids are at school, it should be safe ground.”
