A former marine has taken a stand against America’s shooting problem by surrendering his own guns to be destroyed on TikTok.
Ben Beers, 37, was outraged by the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
In response to the atrocity, committed by 18-year-old Salvador Rolando Ramos, he surrendered his own weapons to the Hillsboro Police Department in Oregon.
The former marine said in the TikTok: “Today I'm turning in my weapons to the Hillsborough Police Department, both my AR-15 and my 9MM handgun, I no longer want them.
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"I know this will not change legislation or anything to do with gun culture in America but hopefully it'll be a form of symbolism, and hopefully America can wake up because no other country has the problems that we do with gun culture and ideation and gun violence like we do [sic]," Beers continued.
In an interview with KGW, the former marine explained that he was profoundly affected by the elementary school tragedy on 24 May.
He said he lay awake the next night ‘tossing and turning’ and ‘crying and shaking’, despite being a gun owner for years.
The former marine said that he hopes that his now viral TikTok, which has more than 198,000 views, will inspire others to give up their guns.
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“Hopefully, soon we can all wake up and realise this needs to be done… this is an idea.
"Guns are not as precious to us and nor are my Second Amendment rights as the lives of my children in school,” he told KGW.
President Joe Biden has also taken a stand in the light of the recent tragedy, and has called on Congress to implement stricter gun control laws.
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Speaking from the White House on Thursday (2 June), Biden said: “For God's sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept?"
Biden has urged Congress to ban assault weapons, raise the legal age to buy guns, and expand background checks.
He also wants to repeal gun manufacturers’ liability shield, which protects them from being sued over violence carried out by people carrying their weapons, according to Sky News.
Noting that ‘too many everyday places have become killing fields’, Biden said: "This time we have to take the time to do something.
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“I know how hard it is, but I'll never give up and if Congress fails, I believe this time a majority of the American people won't give up either."
He added: "I believe the majority of you will act to turn your outrage into making this issue central to your vote."
Emma Guinness