If you haven’t been living under a rock, you probably know about all the school shootings going on here in the US. There have been way too many deaths caused by shootings this year, and it’s only been 3 months.
One of the biggest shootings that has gotten the most attention as of recently is the one in Florida.
This shooting was done by someone who went to school with them. A teenager.
Why is it that a teenager can get a gun in this country without a license?
The government is just giving students “thoughts and prayers.” We don’t need “thoughts and prayers.”
What we need is gun control. Not a complete gun ban, but at least make it so that an 18 year old can’t get an assault rifle. Someone who has a history of murder in a different location could come here and get any gun. We need a higher age limit. We need thorough background checks. We need to require a license to buy a gun. We need something, anything, to stop these shootings.
Some arguments against gun control consist of “it won’t help,” and “people will get them anyway!” To those people, I say to take a look at other countries. The UK has had no shootings ever since they introduced gun control twenty years ago.
Other people argue, “this is my second amendment right!” First of all, I guess some people are unaware, but the Constitution has been changed before. It’s been changed to ban slavery and to give everyone the right to vote and many other things. Another thing I’d like to ask these people is if they care more about their “second amendment right” or about their children’s lives.
Why, you ask, is the government doing nothing? Because a group called the NRA, National Rifle Association, is giving them money. Thousands of dollars. Because apparently, money is more important than our students’ lives.
Because of all this, EMPOWER, which is the youth branch of the women’s march, has organized a national school walkout. This means that on March 14th, at 10:00 am, students across the country will walk out of school and stand in silence for 17 minutes, one minute for each person who died in the Florida shooting.
Many schools say not to, and people may get detention or a suspension, but over 250 colleges say they will still accept students who participate in it.
My school says we’ll get in trouble, but I plan on doing it anyway, because this is what I believe in.
If you believe in something, if it can affect you or your friends as well, you should stand up for it regardless of the consequences. I was blessed with extremely supportive parents, but if yours are strict, then you aren’t required to. If it causes you pain, you shouldn’t. But if you’re like me and have good reasons to do it and nothing to lose, then go for it. This is something I believe in and I will stand for it. My mom’s also taking me to a march in Washington, DC on the 24th. You should do that too, if possible.
Do everything you can to stand up for what you believe in.
To see a change, we have to be the change.
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