Rifle. Pistol. Revolver. Whether students use them or not, most have a strong stance on gun control. There is a spectrum of views on the issue, but most can agree on one thing: someone who wants a gun will likely be able to get one.

Sophomore Precious McGinister has a neutral stance on stricter gun control.

“Either way it goes, people are going to do what they want to do,” McGinister said. “Whether I support [stricter gun control] or I’m against it, people are always going to find a way around it.”

McGinister’s family does not own guns, but she still respects those who do.

“We don’t need guns, because we got hands, so we can fight,” McGinister said. “When it comes to hunting, that’s just them. It’s how they get they food or make money. For defense, that’s just how they do. If that is how they need to protect themselves, then that’s what they need to do.”

Other students, like junior Timmon King, strongly oppose stricter gun laws.

“It’s not the guns that need to be controlled, it’s the people using them,” King said. “Even if there were stricter gun control laws, people would still be able to get [guns]. You know, black market, all that kind of stuff. Marijuana is illegal and people still get that.”

Senior Kenneth Bates believes that background checks do not make a difference.

“[It] takes time and a lot of money to background check a whole lot of people,” Bates said. “I don’t think there is an efficient way that [the U.S.] has devised so far. There is nothing you can do, not without too much interference with the U.S. populace, which is like something we usually try not to do in America, is like, get really involved with the humans.”

On the other hand, students like junior Gavin Patterson want stricter gun control.

“There are too many deaths due to guns, and I believe it’s too easy to access guns,” Patterson said.

Because of the violence he has seen in other cities, Patterson believes guns are the root of violence.

“In places like Chicago, there are kids that are hostile because of neighborhoods they lived in,” Patterson said. “They are scared to go to school, and some of them have bullet wounds and their friends have died because of gang violence due to guns.”

Patterson has a strong opinion about people who disagree with him.

“They need to look into it,” Patterson said. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

King instead stresses the importance of being safe with guns. His father teaches gun safety at a Hunter’s Education class, so it is important to the whole family.

“Safety is one of the big things that we stress at my house,” King said. “A gun is a tool, like a hammer is a tool. If you don’t use a hammer right, you can kill somebody with it.”