In light of the recent school shootings and the call for change, I say this: I don't want a gun as a future educator.

I grew up in a town where gun violence grew as we did. I'm no stranger to guns and what they are capable of. However, guns are not responsible for the damage caused by them, it's the person holding them.

I'm only two years into my education at Siena Heights University, but I've learned so much during these times. Educators don't need guns to protect their students.

I will protect my students in a way that doesn't require a gun.

I will protect my students by showing them love. Most of these students that are going into their schools with guns are students who aren't being shown love in and out of the classroom. It's not an issue with gun control, it's about mental health. We fail to realize that these students are suffering and they think the only way to fix it is by shooting the students and staff that make them feel this way. I'm not saying that they should get away with shooting their peers, but we need to intervene before they resolve to mass murder.

The issue is social acceptance of those who are different.

We are so quick to judge others based off of appearances or differences that we forget that they are human too. Students that are bullied are more likely to become depressed. Instead of killing themselves, students are killing those that caused their pain instead. As a future educator, that breaks my heart.

As a community, we need to be more aware of those that are being thrown to the side and show them love. By letting younger generations see that being different is okay and that love and compassion are key, we will see the number of school shootings and suicide go down.

The future is in our hands, not guns.

We don't need guns to protect us, we need to be empathetic and caring. Nothing can be changed if we just sit around and hope killing others will fix things. A gun is not going to make young kids feel protected, they will be scared because teachers should not have guns.