One year ago, 17 students and faculty of Stoneman Douglas High School were killed by a gunman. One man, who was nineteen years old, used a semi-automatic weapon and shot seventeen innocent people. His actions on February 14, 2018, sparked a movement that is determined to ensure that this tragic event does not occur again.
When the Parkland shooting happened, people around the country stood by these students in a fight to establish a stronger control on guns and those who could attain them. Students from high schools around the country also organized a national school walkout day as a symbol to those lives that were lost on valentines of 2018 and to show the government that they need to figure out a solution to this problem before it happens again.
Today, there is still a conversation on gun reform and control but it is less so on our government's agenda. People no longer speak of its importance and currency. The topic of gun control only will arise so strongly again if another major incident happens.
We need to stop this cycle and start taking action before it is too late.
Valentine's Day a year ago sparked a movement that created the "March For Our Lives," which had thousands of high school students and others from around the country gathering in Washington to march towards the White House in protest. It showed students coming together to protest to our government that their lives are more important than guns.
Many people disregarded this conversation of gun control because they believed these students were advocating for the government to take away guns from our society. This movement wanted to ban semi-automatic weapons and create better regulations on attaining guns and not allow just anyone the ability to receive a license to own and carry. The man who killed seventeen students and faculty at Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, attained his semi-automatic weapon legally. He was mentally unstable and was still able to acquire a weapon.
This is the kind of change this movement wanted and still wants.
While this topic is no longer on the government's agenda, it still is a topic of importance. People need to understand that kids should not be afraid to go to school. More and more kids in our generation understand an active shooter drill rather than math or science. If you are one of the critics of this movement, just look at your own kids or think about your future kids - how would you feel if they were at Stoneman Douglas High School a year ago? Would you change your mind?
