In the year 2040, everyone could finally protect themselves. 

   Leading up to the Thoughts and Prayers Conservation Act of 2039, society had been in shambles. Thoughts and prayers were said to be at an all-time low, and across the country, Americans were in short supply. Of course, there had been a rise in shootings – in schools, at malls, and concerts, and clubs, and cookouts – which caused grave concerns for the politicians representing the large rifle and handgun corporations, since they had offered so many thoughts and prayers that they had nearly exhausted the national supply. 

   So, like any well-oiled political organization would do when responding to a national crisis, the politicians sprang into action. The government passed a law that drew unanimous support from every legislator (the first of its kind, they say!). The new law stipulated that everyone had to carry a gun on them at all times. 

   “Americans need to protect themselves against threats,” said President Kardashian, who had been asked for comment at the press conference that announced her new skincare line. “And, what are we protecting ourselves from? Threats, of course!” It stood to reason, she said, that since Americans with guns were a threat to those who did not carry, that the safest way to combat the danger was for everyone to carry guns. Then, since everyone was equally a threat to each other, no one was a threat at all. In fact, the only threat to national safety, the government reasoned, was if anyone didn’t have a gun. 

   Take, for example, Sophie’s sister’s kindergarten class. The government let the teachers know that they were forced to hold a gun on them at all times. However, the kindergarteners also needed to protect themselves from their teachers. And since the kindergarteners now had guns, as did their teachers, the nurses, the soccer coaches, the parents, and the janitors all needed to secure their own safety. So the government deemed that everyone needed to hold a gun on them at all times. 

   Sophie, who trusted the government of course, started to think that there might just be a problem. Sophie was a 14 year-old girl who grew up with her mom, her dad, her brother, and her two best friends who were practically her sisters. Sophie had a love for animals, which included her family's three year-old golden retriever and their grumpy, old black cat. Everyday for breakfast, Sophie ate her scrambled eggs and toast on her dad’s special plate – “World’s Number 1 Best Dad,” it said – that Sophie gave him for his 50th birthday. During the school day, Sophie had her five core classes: Math, Science, History, Spanish, and English; in almost all of her classes, like any other kid, she counted down the minutes until they were over. Sophie then got picked up from school in her mom’s minivan. After a long 15 hours since she left them, she finally reunited with her two best friends, Charlotte and Isabelle, in homeroom the next morning. 

    But Sophie also, like any other kid, noticed that the death toll was increasing by the day, even though the government said that now there was no reason to be afraid and there was no reason to mind that people were dropping like flies. Unlike most people living in her society, though, Sophie understood what the government was after. They figured, Sophie thought, that it was worth it for a few to suffer so the majority could feel safe. Even if this was not fair to the ones who were hurt in the process, President Kardashian believed that many more people would go about their days being happier if only a few had to take some stray bullets to make it happen. And Sophie got that. She just didn’t buy it.

   Gunshots were normal to hear at any hour of the day. Whether you were at school, in the public library, at a restaurant, and even in your home, the noisy shots were a part of everyday life, and most people got used to tuning them out. This was the case for Isabelle and Charlotte, who were part of the bunch who tuned out the gun shots. Sophie was still working on it, and couldn’t get over how much she was bothered by them. However, Sophie was a good citizen, and knew that it was clear in the Thoughts & Prayers Conservation Act that she was not allowed to talk about the violence in her country. Instead, Sophie had to carry a gun on her every second of every day to protect herself and others. 

   Sophie was at school sitting with Charlotte on the right of her, and Isabelle on the right of Charlotte. 
“You would not believe my new birthday gun,” said Charlotte. “It’s pink and even has some gems on it.” 
“No way. I am asking for that one for my birthday.” Isabelle replied. “Don’t tell anyone,” she said in a hushed teenage whisper, “but I left my ugly Glock at home today.” 

  Sophie zoned out. All of a sudden, the noise they were all so familiar with started ringing through their ears. Charlotte and Isabelle kept talking about their shiny gifts as the noises became louder and louder. The door swung open and the shooter, a kid in the grade below them, raised his gun. And before Isabelle could utter a word, he shot her right in her head. “I heard a rumor that a girl did not bring her gun to school today, and not only is that against the law, but a threat to everyone’s safety!” the shooter cried.

   Isabelle’s body, immediately lifeless, and probably dead on the spot, fell to the ground. Her body lay next to Charlotte as Sophie’s thoughts were all over the place. How does the government let innocent humans get murdered day after day? Sophie understood that she had to make a change and do something about this problem.  

   The day after Isabelle’s death, Sophie stood up at her school's daily assembly. “How do we let our innocent classmates get shot almost every day? How is this problem so normalized that the shooter is free of charges, and there is not even a lockdown? We need to make a change. As someone who has morals and an understanding of these problems, I will not carry around a gun anymore, and I suggest that you, if you have any sympathy for the lives stolen from these poor humans, do the same. Thank you.” Sophie sat back down in her seat, her cheeks turning red from the rest of the auditorium’s stunned silence. She prayed that everyone could finally see her side.

   The next day at school, Sophie saw no one carrying around their guns. She was ecstatic to see her speech made a difference. Since none of the kids were carrying their guns, the teachers, and janitors, and coaches, and bus drivers all did not need theirs. Everyone had stopped bringing their guns to school. However, what Sophie did not seem to think about, or care about, is that this event made it all over the news. Sophie was now a wanted criminal due to her lack of care for everyone's safety. “If no one is protecting themselves, no one will be seen as a threat anymore, and then everyone will go back to being a threat!” was the headline on that night’s news. “Without people bringing their guns around anymore, the system that guns are used for protection and not harm is under attack.” 

   Later that day, as Sophie left school, a motorcade of government SUVs surrounded her. From one of the passenger doors, President Kardashian emerged, gun drawn, and shot Sophie right in the head. Just like Isabelle, and the many before her, Sophie’s body dropped to the ground as the dark red blood spilled out of her lifeless head. As Sophie’s organs started to fail, every hope of saving her vanished. The president stepped aside so that nothing about this inconvenience would stain her six-inch Louboutins. 

   President Kardashian returned to her family later that day; she smiled at her kids and told them that it was a good day at work keeping us all safe.