By Sara Keating
Student Life Editor

You quickly scan the room from your crouched position under the desk, desperate for a clue that will make sense of what is happening. You have blocked out the constant blaring of the fire alarm but you know you will never be able to forget the sounds of gunshots and screaming echoing down the school hallways. As your muscles begin to cramp from the uncomfortable position, you draw in a shaky breath, wondering if it will be your last.

Few, if any, can ever prepare themselves for the emotional and physical trauma of living through a school shooting – of surviving a crazed gunman’s actions, rendered helpless to act while friends and acquaintances are not as fortunate.

The damage done by a few small bullets can take a lifetime to repair and for some, healing never comes.

Unfortunately, events such as these occur all too often; in the past 14 years since the famed Columbine shooting over 25 major shootings have occurred, leaving our government questioning the wisdom in maintaining the 2nd Amendment as established by America’s founding fathers.

April 20, 1999 resulted in 13 deaths and 21 injuries at Columbine High School by the hands of two high school boys, who then committed suicide.

The shooting prompted the federal and state governments to introduce legislation requiring safety locks on firearms and banned importing high-capacity ammunition magazines. Laws were made making the act of buying guns for minors and criminals illegal.

April 16, 2007 brought forth a mass murder of 32 people and the injuring of 17 others at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

The actions of the 23-year-old student prompted the state to recommend adopting legislation giving any college or university the right to regulate firearm possession. It also suggested requiring background checks for all firearm sales, including gun shows.

Due to the controversy created by various gun rights parties, the bill was defeated in the Senate Courts.

On Jan. 8, 2011 many watched as 19 people were shot during a public meeting in a grocery store parking lot in Tucson, Arizona. Six people died, including government officials. The 22-year-old perpetrator had plans to assassinate U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

This shooting initiated the creation of new legislation regarding gun control. The legislation called, once more, for the prohibition of high-capacity magazines. It also suggested the abolition of gun ownership by those denied for military service because of drug abuse.

A bill was also created that introduced the ban of carrying a firearm within 300 meters of federal officials. The two year anniversary of the shooting has caused many to veto the bill to allow guns on campuses or in public buildings.

Many will always remember July 20, 2012 as the night 12 civilians were killed and 58 others injured during a midnight premier of The Dark Knight Rises in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.

The catastrophe led to a jump in gun sales in Colorado and several other states while the number of background checks for the sale of firearms increased by over 40 percent.

However, this incident, according to the Pew Research Center, did not produce an effect on gun control opinions.

The grief surrounding the events of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012 is still fresh in the hearts and minds of many. A 20-year-old man was responsible for the deaths of 20 children, six adults and his own mother before he took the shot that would end his own life.

Within a mere 15 hours of the tragic event, 100,000 citizens had signed a petition calling for the renewal of a national gun control debate. Many government officials called for a ban on assault weapons.

Six days later, the National Rifle Association of America urged Congress to set up a fund for police protection in every school in America.

The commencement of 2013 leaves many reeling from numerous tragedies and lost loved ones. The call for new gun control laws to be made is as strong as ever yet a surprising number of surveys show that the mass shooting events of the past 14 years have made little lasting impact on the public’s opinions regarding stricter gun laws.