In the history of our country, even more so in recent years, a disturbing trend of gun violence has become evident. Sandy Hook. Sutherland Springs Baptist Church. Route 91 Harvest Festival of Las Vegas.

In the wake of these tragedies, controversy has arisen: Should guns be banned or restricted, or is it the people who are the problem?

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” the Bill of Rights states.

Some object to certain interpretations of the 227 year old document.

“I think that there’s some parts [of the Second Amendment] that people catch on to, like your right to have a gun, but I don’t think it’s your right to have any gun in any circumstance,” senior Damaris Eddy said. “People generally overlook … the right of the people to have a militia and overthrow the government if it becomes tyrannical. It’s not the right to have a weapon that can kill 200 people.”

These rights are fiercely defended by many, especially those who own guns in the name of self-defense.

Senior Gage Auge, an advocate of the second amendment, agrees with keeping gun ownership legal.

“The people should be able to keep themselves safe, if they feel that to be necessary, and furthermore, guns are an important part of American sport and tradition that should not be merely done away with,” Auge said.

However, when asked his opinion on how the country’s recent mass shootings could have been prevented or kept in check, he agrees that more stringent laws should be enforced.

“I do believe that tighter security and processing should be put into practice, in terms of buying a weapon,” he said. “Maybe something along the lines of the more advanced and dangerous the weaponry, the more classifications and safety processing needed to purchase it?”

Junior Quinnlyn Doval, though she believes the Second Amendment is outdated, agrees with him when it comes to prevention measures.

“I think it’s just imperative to have really really extensive background checks and to be very selective with who we’re giving these insanely powerful firearms [to],” she said. “Just by doing those background checks and really being selective with monitoring who has access to that, a lot of the mass shootings could have been completely avoided altogether.”

Although the country is divided over the best course of action regarding the Second Amendment as a whole, it seems that we can agree on one thing: gun ownership is nothing to be taken lightly, and more stringent measure should be put into place for those who wish to own a gun and open-carry.