According to the U.S. Department of Justice, terrorist activity is defined, in part, as the use of any— (a) biological agent, chemical agent, or nuclear weapon or device, or (b) explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device (other than for mere personal monetary gain), with intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property. The DOJ includes in their explanation of terrorist activity the definition of a terrorist organization, stating it as: "a group of two or more individuals, whether organized or not, which engages in, or has a subgroup which engages in, the activities described.”

The latest tragedy in Parkland, Florida, regardless of what some may say, is directly related to our government’s unwillingness to create and enforce commonsense gun laws, fueled by a criminal organization that bribes lawmakers with barrels of cash and knowingly promotes and participates in a plot that on-average results in the deaths of seven children every day. This organization is the National Rifle Association.

Without failure, advocates of the NRA will tell the American public that its only intent is to protect their Second Amendment Constitutional right to own firearms. Whether or not you agree with the conservative translation of the Second Amendment, there is no doubt that the NRA’s belief that every American has an unassailable right to own a gun has morphed into a semireligious philosophy, dripping in radicalized sentiment.

The NRA’s unrelenting fight against seemingly commonsense gun regulation is based on that philosophy that those who do not adhere to their theological philosophy are simply incorrect and unjust. Their advocates criticize those seeking tighter gun regulations as "unconstitutional" and "un-American," quoting that the very founding fathers of the nation intended for the right to bear arms to be as set in stone as the freedom of speech.

In America, personal belief is never legally penalized. But when individuals form groups that engage in activities that “endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals”—whether it is flying a plane into a New York City building or driving a car through anti-racism protesters at a Charlottesville, VA. rally—it rises to the legal definition of terrorism. Given this, the NRA is by definition a terrorist organization.

In the later 90s, the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement forced tobacco manufacturers to pay-up $206 billion in fees for tobacco-related deaths and illnesses. The companies were legally forced to stop targeting the youth, restrict their advertising, and enact policies so that cigarettes and other tobacco products wouldn’t end up in the hands of children. The hallmark case revealed that "Big Tobacco" had covered up the dangers of its products for years from the public by uniting to lobby lawmakers with billions of dollars and in addition obscuring important data about its lethal product to water-down the now obvious facts. This is essentially what the NRA is doing today.

Here are some facts about guns:

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), more people died from gun deaths in 2016 (38,658) than from prescription opioids (around 14,400).

13,686 of the people killed by guns that year were under the age of 19.

When all criminal actions are negated from the gun-related death total, 495 of those deaths were unintentional, and another 22,938 were suicides.

The grand total of U.S. deaths from terrorism and extremist activities over the last decade is 71.

The grand total of every American casualty as a result of terrorism since 1865 is but a fraction of the total deaths related to firearms in one year.

These statistics are truly appalling. There is no doubt that guns are a worse problem than even terrorism in America. The ease of acquiring firearms causes thousands of needless deaths in the United States.

It is a fact that states with large-capacity-magazine bans have fewer firearm-related deaths. The states of Hawaii, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, which are the only ones in the Union with such laws in place, exhibit lower incidents of mass shootings amongst their population numbers than states that don't. This is a solution that essentially harms no one and has the potential to save hundreds of lives but nevertheless is yet to be implemented in 42 of the 50 states.

Despite the fact that 90% of Americans have no problem with mandated background checks as a prerequisite to purchasing a firearm, the NRA opposes it. According to Gallup polls, 8 in 10 Americans favor legislation banning assault-style weapons, but the NRA nevertheless fights against it. 82% of Americans polled in favor of outlawing attachments that allow guns to fire rapidly, but the NRA once again lobbies against this effort.

Through this malicious crusade against gun reform, the NRA is effectively waging an ideological war that is responsible for killing and injuring thousands of Americans each year while claiming that they are simply fighting for the will of the American people. Their basis for this war is a fundamentalist interpretation of the Second Amendment that very few Americans share. In the same way that most Muslims don’t support radical organization such as al-Qaeda and the IS, and that the majority of white people don’t support the neo-Nazi movement or the Ku Klux Klan, most people who own firearms and even those that do don’t support the National Rifle Association. Even though the organization claims to have 5 million members, that seemingly large number accounts for only 1.5% of the U.S. population and less than 7% of gun owners. That means that 98.8% of the country, and 93% of the legal gun-owners, want nothing to do with the NRA.The NRA is certainly not some loose union of well-intentioned gun owners.

In each of the past five years, the NRA spent an average of $3 million on lobbying lawmakers. This money, however, does not come from members of the NRA—it comes from gun manufacturers who give tens of millions of dollars to the organization through a variety of means, including donations, sponsorship programs, advertising and revenue sharing. Manufacturer Taurus automatically purchases an NRA membership for every customer who buys one of its guns. Major companies Strum and Ruger give $1 from every purchase to the NRA.

The gun debate, in essence, has never been about the Second Amendment. Most politicians, lawyers, and legal experts agree that the right to bear arms will never be revoked. The real question is about the American goverment's unwillingness to regulate the gun industry and its ability to be independent of the NRA.

As it stands today, the NRA is nothing but an organization promoting terrorism that neglects the right to life of thousands of individuals in order to protect the right to bear assault weapons. Even beyond the National Rifle Association, famously conservative organizations such as FOX are contributing to this neglecting of human life.

Take a look at the FOX News coverage of the recent school shooting at Parkland, Florida. The method in which FOX, a famously conservative organization known for its love of all things from the Right, covers this horrific incident shows the extent of neglect. Here are some noteworthy segments from their coverage:

Sean Hannity speaking of the incident: "...again, this is not about guns.", "No, this has nothing to do with guns. This has to do with protecting our children."

Aaron Cohen, Security and Terror Expert; invited guest on FOX: "It's not a weapon issue.", "The kid had parents. Where are the parents?"

FOX Reporter: "This is a diminution of culture, this is not simply about guns."

FOX Reporter: "If you ban guns, we see how that doesn't work, like in D.C. and Chicago."

FOX Report: "This kid was probably so ramped up, he may have used a car to mow these kids down. You can use a car as a weapon."

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as guest: "Maybe there is a law that could have prevented this instance. But we don't know that and neither do they (Democrats).", "As, I think, more details become available, we'll have a deeper conversation about why these things are happening."

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as guest: "It seems like, whenever we have one of these tragedies take place, there are always folks that want to infringe on fundamental liberties that we, as Americans, enjoy."

Throughout the course of their coverage, FOX brought out guest after guest onto their show. Each seemed to commonly believe that guns were not the issue in regards to Parkland and that the issues here were parenting, mental health, and external influences. Each seemed to ignorantly believe that there was nothing that could have stopped this incident.

As a nation, we cannot let this endless cycle of negligence continue. While other factors are sure to be considered, regardless of what FOX, the GOP, or the NRA may say, this is a gun issue. The lobbying of Republican lawmakers by the NRA is terrorism in its very fundamental definition. We as Americans must take this opportunity to see beyond this veil of ignorance and negligence.

Those who continuously refuse to recognize the lack of restrictions on firearms as a problem in this nation live with the blood of the victims of Sandy Hook, Columbine, Parkland, and countless other tragedies on their hands. No one should stand in the way of the safety of innocent human beings, especially children. It's time we as a nation stop the painful cycle of sending our prayers and condolences to the families of victims already gone and work to prevent the victim list from getting and bigger. It's time to cease the neglect and act.