With the presence of social media, it has been said on many occasions that we overshare things; that we should be mindful of what we post on social media. Many of us have heard about the weird things people post on Snapchat. Most are harmless but this one may be an exception. A woman by the name of Stephanie Hernandez (21) posted a series of photos of her boyfriend pointing a gun at her head, one with the caption, “strap chat?”, and another with the gun along with loose ammunition. It was alleged that a few hours later, she was reported dead of gunshot wounds to the head.
It was reported that Hernandez’s boyfriend, Rafael Gonzalez (20) accidentally shot her in the head. Gonzalez is a convicted felon and is not permitted to have a firearm (which he does). Hernandez’s roommates told the police that Gonzalez from time to time plays around with his pistol and would aim it at Hernandez’s head and her temple. She died, leaving two daughters: an 8-month-old and a 3 year old.

While Hernandez might have solved her own murder, I do not suggest posing for pictures while a gun is being aimed at you. Guns are not something to play with, especially when loaded. When playing with guns, what may seem harmless could end up fatal. While I can’t say whether what happened to Hernandez was intentional or not, if it is, I think it could have been avoided.
Many people may think guns are cool, but they are not for everyone. In fact, if you only want a gun to pose with, or just for the sake of having a gun, you probably shouldn’t have one. Guns do not have eyes or ears; once a bullet is fired, you cannot tell it where to go or who to not hit.
Along with guns comes great responsibility. If you decide you want a gun, you have the responsibility of ensuring it is secured at all times. In a report on gunviolencearchive.org it reported that 1,390 people were shot unintentionally during this year. Again, do not play with guns: it may end up fatal for both parties involved. With education comes awareness, so educate yourselves and stay away from guns.
In light of this, I would say social media is turning us all into poppets. We all want more followers, likes, and people viewing our snap stories; and as a result, we go to extreme levels to ensure this. Social media “likes” or followers shouldn’t be so important that we put ourselves in danger just to get a few followers.