One of the founding principles of our country is the right to bear arms. The second amendment of our constitution guarantees us this right (depending on how you interpret it). Americans are allowed to purchase guns, keep them in their homes and carry them when they go out in public. This liberty is as old as the country itself, but it is a freedom that comes at a price.

The U.S. has the gun crime rate of a failed state, with nearly 32,000 deaths and 74,000 injuries occurring in 2011 alone. There are also more guns per capita in the U.S. than in any country on earth.

In addition to single cases of violence resulting from guns, every American is familiar with the string of mass shootings in the past few years. The shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., left Americans in a state of mourning and fear. Many thought that Congress would have done something in retaliation to these massacres. Yet a move to enact background checks did not pass Congress this time last year.

Proponents of gun control say that less guns equals a safer society, and point to countries like Australia, which has seen a decline in mass shootings since enacting strict gun laws several years ago.  Opponents point to incidents such as a mass stabbing that took place at a high school outside of Pittsburgh, Pa., on Wednesday. They claim that gun control will not only keep guns out of the hands of responsible citizens, but also push people to resort to other weapons.

“Things like this are going to happen either way,”  said Thomas Broussard, a member of the UK shotgun team and vice president of the UK students for concealed carry on campus group. Broussard says that criminals “don’t follow rules to begin with,” and could easily make the switch to knives or bombs if guns are unavailable.

Broussard also contested that gun violence is all relative to violence in other forms, stating that according to the FBI, more people get killed with hammers and blunt objects per year than with rifles. He also said that Chicago’s crime rate has dropped to its lowest point in years since the city decided to initiate conceal and carry permits.

This is what makes the issue of gun control so complicated. There truly is data on both sides that supports either argument. There are countries, like Australia, that have benefited from stricter gun laws. However, regardless of what has happened in other countries, it is impossible to accurately predict what result a nationwide gun regulation would have on our society. So what are we to do?

Gun control proponents and opponents must be willing to meet somewhere in the middle. Congress should not give up on talks of common sense background checks, as middle ground policies like these will allow for a civil discussion to be had.

If this discussion is to be had, gun control proponents must realize that the right to bear arms is a core value of this country, and Americans will likely never hand their guns over to the government. On a practical level, they must also realize that the National Rifle Association is arguably the most influential lobbying group in the country, and they often get what they want.

Gun control opponents must realize that something we are doing isn’t working, and people are dying every year without sense or reason. The causes of these gun deaths are individual by situation, but one thing is certain: It’s time to find middle ground on this issue.