Let me just say that I am never the one to go out and rant about politics or make a long post on social media about a serious political issue. Of course, I will tweet hashtags or a short message about it, but I always refrained from writing a huge post or talking forever about it with friends and family just because I felt I wasn't educated enough or I just didn't care all that much.

Well, it is a completely different story when it comes to this issue that has been going on for far too long in the United States.

Gun violence- specifically school shootings- have become such a serious issue within this country in only a few short years. People's minds automatically think of incidents such as the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the Harvest musical festival in Las Vegas, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and as of recent, Santa Fe High School. In this year of 2018 alone, there have been 101 recorded mass shootings so far with 22 of them being school shootings.

If this number wasn't terrifying enough, the other part that scares me is that I have become numb to seeing these kinds of headlines plastered on the news and trending on Twitter. The fact that my generation has seen more shootings occur than my great-grandparents probably have in their lifetime is mind-boggling, unhealthy, and not to mention just plain wrong.

Even when my high school went into lockdown last year when no student or teacher seemed to know why at first, I was immediately preparing myself for an active shooter to be walking in my school hallways. I was envisioning the headlines in my head while I sat behind seats in the auditorium and texting my mom, but I still wasn't super shocked that this was a possibility. Thankfully the incident wasn't anything close to a person with a gun but just a student from a neighboring town walking into the school with friends, but my unfazed thoughts scared me so much that I seemed to care even more about this issue than I already did.

And everyone is affected by a unique issue such as this one. For every American that walks out of their house every day, they are automatically exposed to even the most dangerous situations.

From awful situations such as these also comes great things like activism. The survivors of the MSD school shooting have become such big and important activists (amongst other survivors of other shootings), celebrities have used their platform to shine a light on politics and the importance of voting, and everyday people are even given a bigger voice thanks to social media. Along with the countless protests, organizations, petitions and more, raising awareness for this huge issue has become bigger than ever.

While I think utilizing your voice to fight for what you believe in is super powerful, I unfortunately truly believe the activism isn't enough nor will it motivate Congress to change anything.

Everyone has made arguments that the government should consider banning guns altogether like Australia has in order to completely erase the possibilities of more shootings. While this would be a great thing, it would never be possible in a place like the United States. On the other side of things, the Second Amendment has explicitly stated that everyone has the right to bear arms and protect themselves, and most Americans abide by this.

At least in my eyes, there is no way the U.S. can completely ban guns. In a perfect world, I would love them to or even temporarily ban them while they come up with a new law that controls who obtains a weapon, but that is just sadly my opinion.

Although I do not believe that guns can completely vanish from American lives and that activism does not make complete change, I still believe in the fight for change. Maybe I'm so wrong (and I hope I am) and some politicians are looking at what the people want in regards to gun laws and are trying to find a way to prevent future acts of violence. But we will never find out unless we at least try to make our voices heard.

As of now, there are about 326.8 million people splayed all across the country, and each of them has a voice. There are so many ways of expressing yourself nowadays that people should find their own space to express their opinions, whether it be big or small, and others need to be respectful enough to listen even if they don't agree. It is also very important to check the facts and vote when the time comes because who knows what can happen in America today (I mean Donald Trump was elected president).

I may just be another college student who chooses not to participate heavily in the talk about all things political, but I do have a voice, and I plan on using it for anyone who is willing to listen.