Columbine and Parkland Victims and Survivors | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

While The Government Has Failed To Give Us Proper Gun Reform, Former Columbine Students Apologize

The past students of Columbine shouldn't be the ones apologizing for the continuation of school shootings — it is not their fault the government continues to fail us.

71
While The Government Has Failed To Give Us Proper Gun Reform, Former Columbine Students Apologize

Columbine High School near Denver, Colorado, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, north of Miami, Florida- two communities, two unforgettable days and two decades apart share the same tragedy and carry the same invisible scars around with them. Two high school shootings that left in a total of 30 lives gone. Will the government ever help?

Four former students and survivors of the Columbine shooting that happened 20 years ago traveled to Parkland to meet with four of their counterparts and speak with CNN's Brooke Baldwin. These individuals discuss the horrors they experience and how it continues to affect their lives.

Imagine sitting there — 20 years later after experiencing a massacre and telling four individuals from Parkland, "We're sorry we couldn't stop it." That sentence breaks my heart alone. They are apologizing for something that is out their own hands, apologizing for something that their government continues to fail time and time again.

When will the government provide its citizens with sensible gun laws?

This year alone, three individuals, two who experienced the shooting at Parkland and one being the father of 6 year-old-girl who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting committed suicide. The trauma does not end when the shooting does- the trauma sticks with you, your family, and friends for the rest of their lives.

Since the shooting in New Zealand that killed 50 people, the government has banned semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles. It took this one mass shooting for New Zealand's government to jump into action and to find a way to make it harder for people to get their hands on weapons to avoid massacres.

Why can't our government do the same?

The families who have lost their loved ones in school shootings, the students who watched their classmates die, do not want thoughts and prayers. These people want action, they want sensible gun laws.

Thoughts and prayers are not enough- they do not stop the continuation of these school shootings that happening so often in the United States. They do not bring back their loved ones. They do not get rid of the trauma that sticks with you for the rest of their life. Thoughts and prayers are not enough to stop mass shootings.

No one should have to go to school and live in fear waiting for the day a school shooting could happen to them because it has become so normal in this nation for shootings to happen.

As we approach the 20-year mark of the Columbine shooting on the 20th of April 2019, an armed teenager was making threats that forced the closure of 19 school districts in Colorado. This woman was infatuated with Columbine shooting and all it took was for her to make threats and purchase a pump-action shotgun and ammunition once she landed in Colorado.

It should not be that easy to walk into a store to buy a simple gun. How many more lives need to be lost until our government does something? Why does our government continue to fail us when so many lives have been lost since the Columbine school shooting over the past 20 years?

When will enough be enough for our government to take action?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

167907
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

53683
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

47854
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments