To the editor:

In response to the horrific event that took place at the Virginia Beach municipal center, I would like to discuss the topic of mental health and gun violence.

Gun violence is rising in the Hampton Roads area; however, it does not have anything to do with the gun. Everyone wants to focus on guns and banning all guns and avoid the topic of mental health altogether. America loves to sweep mental health under the rug and act like it doesn’t exist.

My question is, why does anyone think making guns illegal will stop these crimes? Drugs are illegal, and yet we still have citizens overdosing, distributing and using. Banning all guns will make all the good citizens unable to protect themselves when they need to.

The solution to this problem is to bring awareness to mental health. People need to be able to talk without feeling judged. People need to feel like they have someone to go to when they need them. America has made it seem like people are crazy if they are depressed, bipolar or have anxiety, etc.

Bad guys are going to find a way to get a gun if they really want it. Banning them will do nothing. We need to focus on mental health awareness, and safety in our schools and office buildings. Once we can help these people in need by bringing awareness to these issues, we can start to save some lives. We need to start bringing awareness to this topic now to protect our future generation.

Alyssa Sadler

Gates, N.C.