Whereas every year in the United States, over 100,000 people are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, attempted suicides, unintentional shootings, or by police intervention, including over 17,000 children and teenagers; Whereas over 35,000 people in the United States die yearly from gun violence, a figure which includes over 2,700 children and teenagers; Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that on an average day, 96 people are killed with guns in the United States; Whereas on an average day, 7 children and teens are killed with guns in the United States; Whereas the United States gun homicide rate is more than 25 times the average of other high-income countries; Whereas the United States population makes up about 4.4 percent of the world’s population but owns approximately 42 percent of the world’s guns; Whereas assault weapons were designed to be utilized as weapons of war and have no place in our communities; Whereas assault weapons have no place in society and other types of guns are too easily obtained; Whereas assault weapons should be banned for use by ordinary citizens and should exclusively be used by law enforcement and the military; Whereas students in the United States have publicly expressed concern for their safety and well-being and have indicated that policymakers should act immediately to protect them in school and beyond; Whereas since the school shooting at Columbine in 1999, there have been numerous other incidents of gun violence, claiming the lives of over 26,000 young people, including those in Sandy Hook, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Santa Fe, Texas; Whereas too many young people are shot and killed in the neighborhoods of major cities, every day; Whereas individuals other than law enforcement officers should not be asked or incentivized to carry weapons for fear of danger to their homes or classrooms