There is a lot to say about the events that transpired in Tuscon, Arizona last month. A United States congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot while at a local Safeway. Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, and twenty other citizens were shot. Six people died in the incident, perpetrated by Jared Lee Loughner. Although Loughner’s mental stability is questionable and there is no excusing his horrific actions, we cannot hold him solely in account for this devastating loss.

Gun control laws in the United States are not what they should be. In case after case, innocent citizens have lost their lives due to the actions of a few deranged criminals. It goes to show what kind of reform our country needs to enact. The right to bear arms is a Constitutional amendment and is unlikely to be removed, but that should not stop Congress from enacting legislation that will limit this right.

We believe that citizens should not be able to carry guns in public, regardless of the claim that guns are carried for protection against criminals. In cases like the Virginia Tech shooting of 2007, the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, and this latest offense, abuses of the right to bear arms were stark. It is reasonable for Americans to feel the need to protect themselves and their own homes from danger, but in public, guns are more apt to create problems than solutions.

While it may be difficult to predict if someone is plotting a massacre, new laws should restrict the ease with which guns and ammunition are currently obtained. Citizens should no longer be able to purchase the high capacity ammunition clips Loughner used in his attack and gun magazines should not exceed ten bullets. This way, the amount of rounds fired by a gunman will be limited, as police will be able to intervene and take down the perpetrator before he is able to reload and fire off more rounds.

To prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands, a thorough background check must be conducted on all buyers. This should include character references from family and friends, a mental health assessment and the disclosure of past disciplinary problems.

Until some measure of progress is made on gun control, America, figuratively and literally, faces an unrelenting hail of gunfire. By waiting for the next attack, we are playing Russian roulette.