Editorial: Tougher gun laws needed

From The Lookout Staff

On Sunday night, Nov. 13, three University of Virginia football players were shot and killed, and two other students were wounded.

The suspect, former UVA football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was taken into custody, police say.

Among the victims slain were Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler, according to a news conference from UVA president Jim Ryan on Monday. One of those wounded was another football player, Mike Hollins.

At The Lookout we see this incident as a tragedy, one that brings to the forefront one of the biggest issues in this country, gun control.

We have all heard about the tragedies, year after year, such as the ones recently in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo. We at The Lookout believe that the United States needs stricter gun laws.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, as of 2022, there are no federal laws, or requirements for firearm purchasers to have any firearm safety training, in the U.S.

Australia, not long after two of its own major mass shootings, pushed for strict gun laws.

With The National Agreement on Firearms, laws dramatically decreased shootings in Australia, even with increasing firearms ownership.

Under these stricter laws, those in search of a firearm are required to show a need for the firearm, and to take a safety course to purchase. We at The Lookout see that as something our country can look into.