It all started with Columbine. Then came Sandy Hook. Then MP. Most recently came Parkland. Our country has been hurting from school shootings and the damages that guns have done for almost 20 years now. When is this going to stop? When will students finally feel safe attending school?

The shooting that happened on February 14th, 2018, at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has influenced many people to become dissatisfied with how the government has and is handling massacres like this one. 17 innocent peoples’ lives were taken on this day. 17 families are mourning. The school is hurting. The country is grieving. But when will this grieving turn into taking action?

President Trump has proposed to take action with passing an act that forces people to undergo a series of background checks before being allowed to buy a gun. Even Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart have agreed to not sell guns to anyone under the age of 21. But is this really going to stop gun violence from happening? I believe that the government can do as much as they want to change this, but the issue is not going to go away. We can stand up for school safety, but it’s not going to stop a mentally unstable person from coming into a public place and wreaking havoc if they have access to a gun.

It’s unfortunate that we can’t do much for this cause, but all we can do is try to get the government to recognize that this is a serious issue and that we all want it to stop. We can show them that they need to implement as many programs as possible to prevent more incidents like this from happening. It’s true that most people who obtain these guns can get them illegally or through others who already have them, though, and not much can change that. But making preventative measures for easily acquired guns without background checks will be a big step in the right direction. The goal is not to take away all the guns in the country, but to ensure that people who are mentally unstable or too young to obtain a firearm are not able to.

Young people are getting more involved in the issue of gun violence than ever before. Students from the high school in Parkland have been striving for change. They have started a national school walkout on March 14th, a month after the school shooting occurred. They hope to accomplish showing the country that we all want this to stop. We all want things to change.

In the meantime, we have to let things play out themselves. We can do a bunch of marches and organize as many events as we want, but in the end, it’s all up to the government of our country. And it’s up to the people to vote for what they think is right, so that the government will actually change. We can’t let fear get in the way of us living our lives and getting an education. Don’t let school shooters get the best of us. They cannot and will not dictate how we live our lives.

To learn more about the national walkout and another side to gun violence, read this story: https://theahseagle.com/10510/uncategorized/i-will-be-walking-will-you/