--- title: 13-Year-Old: I’m Scared of Gun Violence in America description: I support the Second Amendment, but I agree with President Obama that we need common-sense policies canonical: https://time.com/4168650/13-year-old-im-scared-of-gun-violence-in-america/ author: CJ Pearson article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-06T15:28:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:37.633Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 13-Year-Old Conservative: I’m Scared of Gun Violence in America og:description: I agree with President Obama that we need common-sense policies og:url: https://time.com/4168650/13-year-old-im-scared-of-gun-violence-in-america/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdee2fff18a228dd3/698877c40b72e381a06e785b/cj-pearson.jpg?branch=production&width=800&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 800 og:image:height: 450 og:image:alt: CJ Pearson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 13-Year-Old Conservative: I’m Scared of Gun Violence in America twitter:description: I agree with President Obama that we need common-sense policies twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdee2fff18a228dd3/698877c40b72e381a06e785b/cj-pearson.jpg?branch=production&width=800&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 13-Year-Old: I’m Scared of Gun Violence in America > Sponsored content. 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There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=a5623804-73c5-46a4-8e3d-592833d46fe5&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: Obama Announces Gun Control Measure [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Obama Announces Gun Control Measure](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AdUlAkP7.m3u8) (2:23)  _Published 2016-01-05_ by [CJ Pearson](https://time.com/author/cj-pearson/) ## CJ Pearson Jan 6, 2016 3:28 PM UTC  CJ Pearson CJ Pearson Courtesy of author by [CJ Pearson](https://time.com/author/cj-pearson/) ## CJ Pearson Jan 6, 2016 3:28 PM UTC Aurora, Colo. Sandy Hook Elementary. Charleston, S.C. San Bernardino, Calif. Even at 13-years-old, these tragedies remain on my mind. They linger in my thoughts, reminding me of the devastation that gun violence has caused, ripping apart families, communities, congregations and the emotional will of the American people. On Dec. 14, 2012, [tragedy](http://time.com/4147684/newtown-sandy-hook-anniversary/) struck Newtown, Conn. Twenty-year-old Adam Lanza stormed the doors of Sandy Hook Elementary, killing 20 students and six adult faculty members. This shooting devastated me. I remember first hearing the news, sitting in a log cabin in Tennessee on Christmas vacation, with my eyes glued to the television. I began to sob. These tears weren’t only tears of emotional sympathy, but also tears of fear. I was frightened that what had happened at Sandy Hook that day could very well happen at my own school. A deranged person could find a way to get their hands on a gun, storm the schoolhouse doors, and end our lives just as quickly as they had entered. This was my fear for a long time, because to my knowledge, no one had done anything to keep me safe or make me feel safe. The remnants of that fear still linger. Tragedies like the one in Newtown continue to occur. They’ve become routine. Our responses to these tragedies have also become routine. After the shootings in Newtown ,we offered our prayers and thoughts. But no policy followed. After James Holmes [slaughtered](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-james-holmes-verdict-20150716-story.html) 12 in Aurora, we offered our prayers and thoughts. But no policy followed. After Dylann Roof [killed](http://time.com/time-magazine-charleston-shooting-cover-story/) nine black congregants of Emmanuel A.M.E church in Charleston, we offered our prayers and thoughts. The nation came together and mourned. But no policy followed. Senator Chris Murphy put it best when he [tweeted](https://twitter.com/chrismurphyct/status/672176555859296256) after the shooting in San Bernardino that killed 14: “Your ‘thoughts’ should be about steps to take to stop this carnage. Your ‘prayers’ should be for forgiveness if you do nothing – again.” This lack of action is why I remain fearful. This lack of action is why thousands of people across America continue to die due to the harrowing effects of gun violence. Politicians in Congress continue to talk. But they do nothing. And those who try are often labeled “[gun grabbers](http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2013/03/05/5-things-the-gun-grabbers-apparently-dont-understand-n1525945/page/full).” I support the Second Amendment. But I also support governing on the principle of common sense. So when it comes to keeping America safe and implementing common-sense gun policies, I’m all for it. That’s why I applaud President Barack Obama’s [intentions](http://time.com/4167475/obama-gun-control-executive-action/) to lead on this issue and implement common sense-gun policies, as he [outlined](http://time.com/4167749/obama-gun-control-remarks/) Tuesday. These are policies that are supported by a [majority of the American people](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/10/most-americans-now-support-stricter-gun-control-laws). Opponents of the president’s efforts will have a crucial question to answer if they choose to stand in the way of these reform: Am I willing to not only go against the will of the American people, but possibly sacrifice the lives and safety of America’s children, just to prove a partisan point? I hope that, by the grace of God, that answer is a resounding no. ## Transcript [ APPLAUSE ] The United States of America is not the only country on Earth with violent, or dangerous people. We are not, inherently, more prone to violence. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] But we are the only advanced country on earth that sees this kind of mass violence, erupt with this kind of frequency. We can respect the second amendment while keeping an irresponsible law breaking few from inflicting harm on a massive scale. Anybody in the business of selling firearms must get a license and conduct background checks, or be subject to criminal prosecutions. We're gonna do everything we can to ensure the smart and effective enforcement of gun safety laws that are already on the books. Which means we're gonna add 200 more ATF agents and investigators. We're gonna require firearms dealers to report more or less, more lost or stolen guns. We're gonna do more to help those suffering from mental illness get the help that they need. We need to develop new technologies to make guns safer. If we can set it up so you can't unlock your phone unless you got the right fingerprint, [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Why can't we do the same thing for our guns? Our inalienable right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those rights were stripped from college kids in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara. And from high schoolers at Columbine And from first graders in new town first graders and from every family who Who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a gun. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. 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