Ana Marquez-Greene, 6 years old. Daniel Barden, 7 years old. Emilie Parker, 6 years old. Last year, 20 children, barely more than babies, were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Dylan Hockley, 6 years old. Chase Kowalski, 7 years old. Catherine Hubbard, 6 years old.

Six teachers were killed as well. Dawn Hochsprung, a principal who attempted to stop the shooter. Anne Murphy, a teacher’s aide who shielded a child with her body. Her efforts failed. The child was killed with her. Victoria Soto, a teacher who died after hiding her students.

All these names were people once. They had entire lives, living and laughing and loving.  But one person with 3 guns changed that. And much of the country says there should be no gun control laws. Since these babies’ lives were cut short, there have been new gun control laws implemented, according to articles of the New York Times. But according to USA Today, some laws have relaxed restrictions. Unless stricter gun laws are put in place, quickly, more children will die. Olivia Engel, 7 years old. Josephine Gay, 7 years old. Jesse Lewis, 6 years old.

One of the arguments against gun control is that people must have a way to fight against the government if it becomes a dictatorship. But even with the guns people have currently, they could not stand against an army. People say they need guns for hunting, but why do they need semi-automatic rifles? What purpose could that serve?  If people collect guns, that’s fine. But they should be modified so they can’t fire. If they want to go to a shooting range, fine. But keep the guns at the shooting range. What legal use would you have for them anywhere else? Benjamin ­Wheeler, 6 years old. Allison Wyatt, 6 years old. Avielle ­Richman, 6 years old. Charlotte Bacon, 6 years old.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution is famously helpful to the anti-gun control movement. It involves the people’s right to “keep and bear arms.” The Constitution is vital to American freedom. It enables us to speak our minds and gather peacefully. But the Second Amendment was added in 1791. Then, people needed to hunt to get food. They needed guns while expanding west, since a race you’re committing genocide against can get angry (for good reason). But not every law  from the past has been kept. Slavery has been outlawed. Divorce is now legal. Times change. Do we need guns now? Jessica Rekos, 6 years old. Caroline Previdi, 6 years old. Noah Pozner, 6 years old. Jack Pinto, 6 years old.

The pictures of the dead children stare out. They look so happy in their moments. Right now, there is no way to stop a tragedy like the New Town shooting. Is the ability to hunt or go to a firing range more important than the lives of first-graders? Is anything? The Sandy Hook victims are all frozen now, smiling out from their pictures. They will never grow up. Grace McDonnell, 7 years old. James Mattioli, 6 years old. Madeleine Hsu, 6 years old.