Keep your guns. I don't care. Go to all the target practices that you want to secure your own protection and enjoy your 2nd Amendment right. Just because I choose to not practice that right doesn't mean you should have to do the same.

What I care about is that in many states, it's easier to buy a gun than a car. In Tennessee, you don't need a permit to purchase a gun. You don't need to register your firearms. Owners don't need to be licensed and the only need a permit to carry handguns, not rifles or shotguns. There is NO WAITING PERIOD to purchase a gun in Tennessee. How does this make any sense? Oh, and one more thing. Tennessee only charges $10 with the purchase of a gun to conduct a background check. Because we're talking about Tennessee here, it costs $77 to license and register your car in this state so basically, it's easier and cheaper to buy a gun than a car in Tennessee. One's basically a modern necessity while the other is not. I can type which one is which for you here but I'll let you figure that out.

I understand not many of you are from Tennessee, but I want you to see my point. I understand that many states have stricter gun regulations than others and that it's the local governments that make the decisions. But you push your local governments to make those changes. You can be heard if you demand it.

For those of you who are gun owners – fine, good for you. You're practicing your right to bear arms and I'm practicing my right to free speech. We have our equality, so please don't attack me and I won't attack you. It's as simple as that.

What boils my blood is that high ranking officials have done nothing in response to 17 deaths at a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, 2018.

Yes, Trump said he told Attorney General Jeff Sessions to make regulations that would result in bump-stocks (additives for guns to make rounds fire quicker) illegal. But I don't buy into it for shit. Until I see that it becomes legitimized and I see the changes happening, I don't believe in it.

Look at the Assault Weapons Ban situation for instance. It was created in Nov. 2017, but it's basically a glorified placeholder, because it will never be passed. It's not bipartisan, so Democrats and Republicans will need to work on it together for it to be passed. I have a greater chance of getting shot than for this to be passed...

All we see is thoughts and prayers coming from those in the high seats in government, but those only go so far. I'm not going to make this religious, but God can only work so hard. He will give strength to those who need it. He will heal the wounded, and He will grace comfort on those begging for it. But He can't change laws. He can't strip those of evil and make them realize their faults. If He was capable of everything, there wouldn't be cancer. There wouldn't be mental illness or death caused by the hands of another person. But it isn't always up to Him so we need to work for Him.

If you aren't religious, once again that's fine, but then stop with the prayers and do something about your empathy. March up to the steps of Congress and demand a change. Show support for those fighting for it by the use of words and standing next to them arm in arm. Stop standing back, watching this country go up in flames while you sit far enough away that you can't be touched. Because when it comes to the gun in another person's hands, there is no guarantee you will make it out alive.

What I propose it to create stricter gun laws and regulations so the hardest thing you can purchase is a gun. Look at Japan! One of the biggest arguments nowadays is that even with stricter laws, the guns won't be taken off the streets, especially with those who already own them illegally. But the thing is, I'm not proposing we get rid of guns, it should just be harder to obtain them and keep them.

In Japan, the only gun a civilian may have is a shotgun and in order to get one, you must first attend classes and pass a written test, which is only held once a month and takes a full day, meaning you wouldn't be able to go to work and that is highly against Japanese culture. Then you must attend shooting range classes and follow the training with a shooting test, which about 95% of people pass. After these tests, you then have to head to your local hospital for a mental evaluation test to "ensure an application is not suffering from a readily detectable mental illness." In addition, a person cannot be addicted to drugs – something seemingly so obsolete yet so important.

In addition to you passing a personal background test, if any relative of yours has a criminal record, you will not be allowed to have a gun. If you are a member of an aggressive political or activist group, you will not be allowed to have a gun. If the police feel your are unfit at all, you will not be allowed to have a gun.

If you pass every single test and evaluation and are given a gun, it doesn't stop there.

"Gun owners are required to store their weapons in a locker, and give the police a map of the apartment showing the location of the locker. Ammunition must be kept in a separate locked safe. The licenses also allow the holder to buy a few thousand rounds of ammunition, with each transaction being registered," according to Guncite.

An annual gun inspection is also required and is scheduled for the convenience of police, which also requires you take time off work. Your license must be renewed every 3 years and you also have to attend an all-day safety lecture and pass an exam.

No civilian is allowed to own a handgun for any reason, including protection in immediate danger. If you do obtain a gun illegally and are caught, you may be sentenced up to 10 years in prison and may be forced to pay up to a million yen fine.

If you're wondering whether it works or not, Guncite also states that Tokyo is the safest major city in the world, with only 40 reported muggings a year. New York City has 11,000 on average. It also states that robbery is almost as rare as murder with a rate of 1.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. America's is 220.9 per 100,000.

Don't believe me? You can also find all this same information at Gunpolicy.org. Here's some more information from BBC. This article talks about how Japan doesn't have more than 10 deaths per year caused by guns. Even Japanese news stations talk about their success with gun control. Now here they are again, but this time they are questioning America's gun system. The Washington Post even wrote about how gun enthusiasts encourage gun control.

Now why can't Americans be like that?

Why can't we implement laws to ensure citizen safety? Is it because we're free?

I don't know how free I am when I fear walking down the street at night because someone may pull a gun on me in an attempted robbery, or even just a drive-by shooting. I know it sounds dramatic, but is it really? These 17 people were shot in a school just several years after 20 first-graders were shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

I'm tired of it, and I hope you are too. Whether you own a gun or hate them. Whether you think marching will help solve the problem or if you think it's stupid. We need to demand change to secure the lives of children, now and forever.