"Senator Rubio, my daughter running down the hallway at Marjory Stoneman Douglas was shot in the back. With an assault weapon, the weapon of choice."
Greetings politicians who take money from the NRA,
I'm sure you saw on Feb. 21, CNN held a Townhall featuring none other than Florida Senator Marco Rubio. The stadium was jam-packed to say the least, filled with mass shooting survivors and family members whose loved ones had been gunned down, all thanks to the lack of gun control this country has — but of course, money is so much more important, right?
Questions were thrown at Rubio, but nothing compared to the statements that followed. More people had proclamations rather than just questions. And I'm here to tell you why. Because we're tired of asking questions. We're tired of asking you, "What will you do for us?" or "Will you stand with us?"
We're exhausted. Because all we're going to get is the same old "My agenda says..." or "First of all...." with no straight answer.
How do we know that this is all we're going to get? Because on that night of Townhall, a survivor that was the same age as I am asked you, Mr. Rubio, a question. A simple "yes" or "no" question.
"Senator Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future?"
The reply?
"The answer to the question is that people buy into my agenda. And I do support the Second Amendment. And I also support the right of you and everyone here to be able to go to school and be safe."
People buy into your agenda? Sir, the NRA buys into your agenda. It doesn't seem like your agenda takes into account all the people who have died at the hands of guns. All the family and friends who have lost loved ones to the trigger.
But honestly, this is a battle we've been fighting for years. It didn't seem to go anywhere until now. But now, we're getting involved. Generation Z. We're not like the rest because our voices ring together as one. And our revolution is just getting fired up because never again. Never again will we see our generation lying in pools of blood in a place that's meant to be a safe-haven for 12 years of our lives.
And guess what? This year is an election year, and many of us Gen-Z'ers are eligible to vote or eligible to register to vote. For us, enough is enough. If it means growing up too fast then so be it. If it means walking out of schools, so be it. If it means putting aside our fears whenever we walk down the school hallways, so be it. If it means walking miles to the nearest government office building, so be it. If it means another life saved then it's worth it because one life taken is one too many.
So dear politicians who choose money over the lives of the innocent...
You've held the gun to our heads for too long, but now your game of Russian roulette is over. No more chances. No more fear. It's our time to fight back.
