Three weeks. It has been three weeks since the awful incident in El Paso occurred.

Patrick Crusius, 21, was charged with killing 22 people and injuring 24 others on Saturday, Aug. 3, while officials in Washington began their debates over gun violence in America once again. I think its time that we as students finally began to voice our opinions on this urgent issue in a more impactful way.

Our nations history of mass shootings reflects the need for new measures in gun control to be taken, and the governments methods on registering all gun owners in America is simply not working anymore. Shooters like Crusius are still able to get dangerous firearms from arms dealers who don’t run proper background checks, and the American government does absolutely nothing about it.

The person who committed these acts probably had this planned out beforehand, Junior Catherine Ortiz said.

People who commit these acts of terror usually have already planned this out, and all they need is a weapon. It is time for the government to put pressure on the National Rifle Association to properly register guns to weapons owners and run background and mental checks on the people who have guns on them.

There is a lot that we as students can do in order to help increase the awareness of gun violence in this country.

We could make each other more aware and have more demonstrations and rallies, Junior Johnny Koithan said.

In the end, I believe change can be possible if we work together when it comes to gun violence. If we make our voices heard, then I honestly believe that this world will become a safer place.