It was a sunny Thursday morning. I woke up later than usual, around 6:45 in the morning. I had to print something for class that afternoon but my computer updated overnight and there was a new way to turn them on. I couldn’t figure it out, so I opted to go to the library in lieu of being late. My sister and I walked to school with spirits high. It was one of the very few days that we didn’t wake up already bickering. 

We headed for the library at around 7:20 a.m. All of a sudden there was a pop. It was a faint pop since I had headphones in, but my sister wore a face of concern. Then came the next pop, then the next, and the next. The shots went off for 16 seconds. 

After a while it was silent. So quiet you could hear the trembling breaths and silent cries of everyone in the library with me. All I can think of is how I can make an escape in case the shooter made his way to the library. 

After waiting for over an hour and sitting in deafening silence, a group of officers walked into the library. They finally came to our rescue and escorted us to the buses to take us to the park down the street to rendezvous with our parents. The bus ride was silent, sounds of whimpers and heaving breathing was the only thing I could hear. 

The meeting point was chaotic. Parents desperately waiting to see their children, students longing for their parents’ embrace. My sister and I were among the only students who didn’t really cry. We finally got to see our parents, who frantically rushed over to us. My mom, in tears and my dad, straight faced and somber. 

My dad embraced me warmly, proud that I kept him updated and created an escape plan. That embrace was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I cried. I cried knowing I was safe in my parents arms but cried knowing two families won’t get to feel their child’s embrace ever again.

On Nov. 14, 2019, student Nathaniel Berhow entered Saugus High School in the city of Santa Clarita, California with an unregistered .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun. He bought the parts illegally and built it himself. He entered the school grounds with what is known as a ghost gun. These ghost guns are unidentifiable, untraceable weapons that can be purchased online and put together at home. 

After this incident, the city rallied around the high school with protests that would block streets. Many students started gun law rallies at school and in the community. These rallies and the laws they are backing aren’t going to change the fact that many mass shootings are done with ghost guns. Stricter gun laws will not stop mass shootings from happening.

Both political parties and society tend to always be at odds over whether gun control is needed or if it is restricting our rights. Democrats tend to believe that politicizing every mass shooting, and blaming it on both “loose” gun laws and gun owners of America, is how they will spark change. 

Las Vegas experienced a mass shooting in 2017 that immediately turned into political coverage.  Democrats were immediately calling to action the increased severity of gun laws, but Republicans saw this call to action as a way to strip away human rights.  In an article written by TIME magazine,  Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said, “The fact that a psychopathic killer murdered innocents is cause for grief. It’s cause for more vigorous law enforcement — But it is not an excuse for Democrats to try and strip away Second Amendment rights from law-abiding citizens.” 

Making gun laws stricter won’t stop criminals from obtaining a gun because of the existence of ghost guns. Everytown is a website that tracks the shootings that have been done by ghost guns. The most recent to date was October 29, 2023, where a man bought a ghost gun kit and used it to murder and carjack a 65-year-old man.  

The Government can keep making laws but they aren’t going to stop those who truly have bad intentions and are willing to buy these illegal kits.

Lily Herrera is a junior broadcasting major from Santa Clarita, California.