My name is Brianna Taskey, and I am a 12th-grader at Bacon Academy High School. I am very concerned about gun violence in the United States and how it affects Americans.

Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary, Columbine, Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, Lewiston, Maine, and the list could go on, but these are only some of the most known mass shootings all of America has seen. According to Time, no other developed country has such a high rate of gun violence as the United States. The main issue in all of these instances is the military-grade weapons (semi-automatic weapons) that ordinary citizens possess and should not.

As a society, we have seen way too many tragedies for us to sit back and not do anything about the problem, which is why we need solutions. One of these solutions includes investing in smarter gun technology.

Back in 2013, Barack Obama made the point, "If we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you've got the right fingerprint, why can't we do the same thing for our guns?" This would provide a safer way to control guns without taking them back and violating constitutional rights. Let's fix this issue as Americans.

Brianna Taskey

Colchester