In the past decade, gun violence has become an increasingly prominent issue in society. The number of American deaths due to gun violence in the past six months exceeds the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq. The 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech caused the loss of thirty-two lives. The shooting at Sandy Hook elementary in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 killed twenty-six more children and adults. These were the two worst school shootings in American history. In response to these tragedies, some may expect society to shy away from guns, after seeing the way the weapons tore apart so many families. Instead, eight days after the Newtown tragedy, Virginia gun sales reached their highest number ever in one day. This shows that the common belief remains that more guns used for self-defense will solve the problem that exists with gun violence. In reality, a more effective solution would be to limit availability of guns in Virginia to some extent, by making some alterations to the background check. For example, asking questions about the mental and emotional stability of those living in the same house as the person buying the gun would reduce the risk of gun misuse. Many recent shootings resulted from guns being put in the hands of those without the mental stability to handle them safely. A second solution could be to put into place a mandatory system of educating gun owners when they purchase a gun. A short class or online tutorial about safe gun storage and usage may reduce the risk of tragic accidents involving guns. A class like this would last less than an hour, but the education gained during the session has the potential to save lives. These classes or tutorials have the capability to prevent deadly disasters such as the one that occurred in Newtown. We recognize that individuals have the right to possess guns. However, these individuals do not have the right to use these guns against others in any situation. This is why we propose stricter and extended background checks as well as education concerning the safe use of guns in Virginia.