Gun Control on the Walkway
Within the past decade, there have been numerous accounts of gun violence, sparking a nationwide debate about the Second Amendment. This issue poses both a humanitarian and political issue, as lawmakers across the country fight to protect American rights while protecting citizens. This is a hot topic that cannot be ignored, and almost everyone shares an opinion. In Poughkeepsie, NY residents and visitors shared their opinions on gun violence with Marist College student journalists at the Walkway Over the Hudson.
As gun violence coverage in the media increases, it creates the perception that active shootings can take place anytime. That’s how Camille, a young mom to an eight-year-old girl, felt when asked about the ever-growing prevalence of gun violence.
“I think that it doesn’t happen as much as the media makes it out to be. It’s a very small population of people who use guns to create violent acts, and there are plenty of legal gun owners.”
Although Camille expressed discomfort about the thought of active shooters in schools, she was not as concerned as other parents. Michelle, a mom to three school-aged boys, constantly fears that her children will be victims of gun violence. “We’re visiting family for the weekend, but we’re from Connecticut so you can’t escape the chatter about Sandy Hook, even today. I worry about my children all the time, and have discussed with them what to do in an active shooter situation,” said Michelle, whose proximity to Sandy Hook, CT makes the threat of gun violence feel more real.
“I don’t just worry about gun violence happening in schools, but it seems like it can happen anywhere these days. Between the shootings in workplaces, movie theaters, nightclubs, the list is endless. Sometimes I’m afraid to even go outside,” said Grace, who is soon to be a mother in two short months. She elaborated on her thoughts, stating that her pregnancy has made her more aware of dangerous situations, and she even goes as far as to planning exit routes whenever she enters public places. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Charlotte, who is a mother of a four-year-old in the local Poughkeepsie school system, felt that the biggest problem with gun violence is the lack of regulation. “It seems like everyone can have a gun these days, and I’m worried that some crazy people out there have access to weapons when they shouldn’t.” Charlotte mentioned how President Trump suggested that teachers have guns in the classroom in response to school shoots, and she felt that was a crazy idea.
“The last thing I need is a gun in the classroom with my son. Besides, who’s going to pay for teachers to have guns, or to train them? The idea just seems a little unattainable, and unsafe.”
David and Agnes were Polish immigrants who came to Poughkeepsie in 2015, and just became parents to their three-month-old. When asked about gun violence in the U.S., both parents commented on how they didn’t realize how many people actually own guns, because gun laws are much stricter in Europe.”
“I didn’t even know where to get a gun in Poland,” said David. “The laws are so strict, so only the police have guns. This makes me feel very unsafe sometimes in America, because anyone could have a gun at anytime.”
One younger couple who was walking their dog chose to remain anonymous, but got into a debate on the topic. It started off with the united front of a need for better gun laws. The debate began when it came to just how much regulation there could be, “It’s an issue for sure and there is definitely hope, but it will never me eradicated one hundred percent” the husband said, “It’s just something we have to live since we put it out there. You can’t take it away [because of second amendment rights] and if you did it would be a crazy thing”
In response, “I think it’s definitely something that can be regulated more,” the wife said, and the husband continued, “It can be regulated more, but it will never fully stop it,” he said. “No one needs an automatic rifle as a regular citizen,” she then continued, “It shouldn’t even be available in my opinion.” The argument finished by the husband saying, “I feel like it’s your right,” and the wife simply responding, “I disagree with you.” The commonality between the two was something needs to change, but just how far can those changes be taken to ensure safety.
The most verbal and willing to be named was a college student named Kelsey Beers whose friends have become so concerned about the risk from their own experiences it’s made her opinion strong. “Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the regulations on background checks and making them not so readily available in places,” Beers said, “I feel safe on campus because I go to a technical school where everyone’s super liberal, but I can see where in other schools people wouldn’t feel safe. If I went to a different school, I would probably feel less safe.”
Beers did mention she has friends that have been in areas where something with gun violence has happened and it makes her concerned for their safety. “I have a friend that goes to Kent State where that girl literally just walked around with a gun all the time,” she said. “She’ll just kind of show up on campus sometimes, not with a gun but just shows up to be like ‘I love guns!” Beers did show some optimism on the subject. “I don’t think people are going to let it go much farther than it already has,” she said, “There are only so many mass shootings that the people can just sit back and be like ‘I wish we could do something.” Both Beers and the couple have shown the concern they have along with many other Walkway goes, but the questions now stand, “What can we do about it? How can we change things?”
Similar to the parents mentioned previously, Poughkeepsie locals Angie and Joel have serious concerns regarding gun restrictions in the United States, specifically surrounding their two kids. “I send my two girls to school every day and while I try my best not to think about it, I am constantly worrying about their safety.” Angie added, “You see these horrible stories in the news about shootings not only in schools, but everywhere. It’s terrifying.”
Angie and Joel also touched on how the schooling experience for kids in today’s time is vastly different than before as a direct result of recent school shootings. Joel said, “When we were in school, we had fire drills and the occasional tornado drill. Now, our kids have drills for when armed shooters enter the school twice a month. It’s crazy how different things are and there needs to be some changes to ensure safety.”
Another parent, Cathy, from Colorado, can relate to this change in school security. “When my kids were in school, you just came and went as you wanted, and there was never ever a problem. They have a lot of security measures now but I didn’t have security. You walked in and walk out with your kids. Then Columbine started, and that was the beginning to the end.” Cathy is glad she doesn’t have children in school anymore. Her son’s girlfriend, Melody, feels safe in school with these new security measures. “Being a kid in school, I’m never scared to walk into school. I know my school is pretty strict on who’s leaving and who’s coming in. No parent can just walk in. You have to show your ID and usually the kid has to come out to you.”
This issue in the United States is incomprehensible to many, mainly due to the fact countless other countries have this problem surrounding gun laws figured out. Jennifer, a Poughkeepsie local, is feeling “currently more hopeless than hopeful” about the future state of gun violence in the country. “We’re at such a stalemate and at such political odds that we can’t seem to have a rational discussion about it.”
Two Hyde Park locals, Colin and Cheryl, have friends working in London and converse on the topic of gun restriction frequently. “We have some friends in England and we talk about gun violence a lot. They just don’t understand why these tragedies keep happening, and honestly neither do we,” Colin said. He added, “We tell them about our concerns on a daily basis, and the fear of shootings definitely carry some weight in the back of our minds. Our friends over there don’t even think twice about it.”
“This country has seen so many terrible shootings, we just don’t know when there is going to be a change. We try to stay optimistic, but it’s really hard at times,” Cheryl said. “We really just want to be in a position where this is not something that constantly takes up space in our minds.”
There are those, however, who believe that the topic of gun violence is moot. Gun owner Vinny from Colorado said, “Like I said, the criminals illegally get guns. And even then, half the time, the guns that they get are no good anyway. So they’re just shooting and they think they know it’s working, but they don’t. This topic just gets blown out of proportion.” His son, Chris, believes that the media contributes to unnecessary conflict. “Not many of us [gun owners] are supportive of the media trying to demonize the second amendment of the constitution. That’s what our country was founded upon,” Chris said.
Chris also believes that restricting gun laws is not a viable solution for preventing crime. “Chicago has the strictest gun laws and the highest crime rate. Banning guns and putting restrictions on guns isn’t gonna stop the problem.”
Additional Authors: Liana Frasca, Cat Giuffra, Caroline Wolf
