According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 100 people are injured or killed a day due to gun violence. 

Guns, in a way, are at the center of this increasing violence. 

To me, no matter what, whenever I read an article about the tragedies of gun violence it just seems like it just makes things worse. 

I am one of the people who believe that primarily these things occur because of the person behind the gun. 

Maybe perpetrators of gun violence had tragedies of their own when they were younger, or maybe they needed help for mental disorders. 

When legislators are considering ways to decrease gun violence, it may be more important to address the root of the problem — individuals driven to violence.  

The fact is that someone with the intent to kill will find a way to acquire a firearm. It is crucial to address the problem before it progresses this far and treat the intent to kill before it manifests itself. What is also necessary is a shift in perspective. 

Rather than attempting to control the means of gun violence, we treat the impetus that drives someone to commit these heinous acts. We need to focus more on mental health.

What I am trying to say is that we should try to create a better environment across America in schools as well as other places where it is OK to talk about how you feel and why you feel that way. 

To me it is one of the most important things to talk about.  

Mental health care in schools has increased over time. According to the CDC, depression and anxiety have increased by 13.4 percent for children between the ages 6-17. 

There is a shift of focus now on mental health because it has become more of a problem in recent years. 

Tragedies have happened since then, which have been connected to this issue. What we need to do now is see what we can do to prevent these statistics from increasing.

One of the biggest distractions is the Second Amendment. We have debated this argument for a long time and we have made no progress. 

Instead of debating our right to bear arms, we should address a different argument where we can actually make an impact. 

The times have changed. The stigma of mental health being too taboo for discussion is over 

What we really need to do now is recognize and discuss mental disorders early in children’s lives so we can create positive change and decrease gun violence.

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