“Breaking news! There has been another shooting in Lexington, Kentucky.” This announcement has been on the news more than once in the past few months. There have been thirty-seven homicides this year in Lexington. Thirty-two of the thirty-seven have been gun-related, which matches the record that was set a year ago.  

 is our There has been an extreme uproar of deaths by guns this year and it’s strange to believe it’s so close to home.  Bourbon county is only twenty-four minutes from Lexington, so it is close. Most of our community goes to Lexington for many things like the mall. A few students and teachers live in or around Lexington. Teacher, employee at Bourbon County High School, Alexandria Daniel, is one of the many that live in Lexington. Miss Daniel, is an English and Journalism teacher, who has taught in Bourbon County for four years. 

In an interview with Miss Daniel, she was asked how she likes living in Lexington, does she feel safe, and whether has she ever planned on leaving the area. How do you feel about the spike in gun violence, does it scare you? “I love living in Lexington. There is so much to do there and I enjoy the atmosphere. With that being said, I love my community in Hamburg. I feel safe there, but there are places in Lexington where I would be uncomfortable walking at night or driving through.” She goes on to say, “Again, fortunately, the area in which I live allows me to not worry as much about gun violence, but when I go outside of my area, it does cross my mind now whereas two years, or even a year ago, this would have never crossed my mind as a worry.”  

Ultimately, this indicates in the past year that gun violence has spiked and it is affecting how most people live. We shouldn’t be worried about going to Lexington or being scared to drive in certain areas. People shouldn’t be on edge every time the news comes on anticipating another shooting. What are we going to do about the guns? When will we stop fearing for our lives?