ARIEL FORTUNE | opinion editor

Stop the shooting and you will stop the slaughter.

In its August 2007 issue, “Newsweek” showcased its most-viewed articles on Newsweek.com. At number one was a photo essay featuring American gun owners entitled, “One Nation, Under Gun”. The photos featured families across the nation standing boldly beside their weapons. When did a gun, a manufactured creation responsible for the termination of human lives, become a synonym for God?

Was it when more than thirty people were killed at the Virginia Tech school shooting—or was it the defining moment when an individual decided to take that manufactured piece of metal and play God?

In 1999, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimated that there is at least one firearm in half the households in the country. On February 14, Stephen Kazmierczak had one—and he killed five people with it. In an interview with Kamierczak’s girlfriend, she told CNN that she was aware he had bought two guns, but he had told her they were for home security. Over the course of a week, Kamierczak had four guns in his possession. Guns may be used for security, but they are used at the expense of violence.

Virginia Tech. Jokela High School. Mount Vernon Elementary. Weston School. Columbine. Northern Illinois University. One thing connects with every slaughter— guns. Everyday, 15 kids die in the U.S. from gunfire. According to the National Center for Health and Statistics, gunshots are the leading cause of death of teenage boys in America. Fifty years ago, it was car accidents. This is what we have succumb to; our cars are getting safer and our guns are becoming more dangerous.

Growing up in Illinois, the NIU school shooting hit close to home. It is hard to see obituaries where the most recent photograph of the victims are taken from school yearbooks. It is even harder when you recognize those faces.

Yes, this time it was Stephen Kazmierczak and this time it was Northern Illinois University. This time it was five people, but the weapon—that was the same.

As students, we must become more vigilant and willing to intervene on these issues. To end this fatal cycle, we must begin asking questions of ourselves, of our peers and of our leaders. What are the presidential candidates stances on gun control? Find out what the leaders on campus are doing and what steps are being taken to prevent them from happening on our own campus. Putting prohibitions on guns will not stop people from obtaining guns illegally, but it will stop a vast majority.

If we get rid of guns, we get rid of a young teenager’s ability to murder someone.

People commit destructive acts, but they do not shoot people because of depression, video games, or violent films. They shoot people because they have guns.