On February 26, 2016 a shooting occurred in Hesston, Kansas. Hesston is a small, quiet town with a population of 3,736. Hesston Police responded when people reported a man shooting at civilian vehicles. Witnesses said the man shooting at the vehicles was using an assault style weapon.

A short time after the reports of the shooting on 12th Street, there was yet another report of a shooting at Excel Industries where the shooter worked. The shooter was Cedric Ford who “Never came off as a bad guy” said a co-worker. All of his co-workers described him as quiet, laid back and a good listener. A co-worker who witnessed the shooting at Excel Industries said “He looked happy! It was almost like he had a smile on his face. It’s a picture I’m never going to get out of my head.”

With any shooting, this sparks the gun control debate. The second amendment which is the right to bear arms has protected Americans from guns being banned. There is a debate about banning guns because of all the crimes involving guns, especially mass shootings. Legally guns cannot be banned in the United States due to the second amendment. However, all the recent gun violence has brought on the discussion to challenge the second amendment and the right to so easily acquire guns. This will no doubt be an issue debated at great length in future political events.