Last week, students, faculty, and staff all over the country walked out of school to call for action regarding gun control in reaction to the Portland, Florida school shooting on February 14th. These individuals exercised their right to protest peacefully over the lack of progress being made on gun control in recent years from the government, and being assured there will never be an instance where schools have to be faced with a danger as a school shooter. A movement such as this is long overdue. I am pleased to see members of my generation taking a proactive stance that will make a mark in history.

It is important for those not too clear about what happened to know why the day carried so much weight. For these students, it gave them a voice to say “enough.” It is unimaginable what runs through a young teenager’s mind when they see their classmate with bullet holes in their bodies because someone used a weapon to do harm. To what extent do children have to go to school worrying if someone is going to pull out a gun? By going out today, students are saying they are no longer standing to see their classmates victimized and having to attend their funerals.

The conversation on guns has moved from interpretation of the second amendment to merely ensuring safety. Students are vying for immediate change to laws that guarantee that school shootings are never a prospect. As Parkland is a driving force in the call to place restrictions on guns, students today are paving the way forward to achieve the freedom to live where guns do not complicate that freedom. While I am set to graduate soon, it bothers me that there are probably children in this country who have to ask if they will get home safe from school. At this point, politicians have now listened to more than enough of this cry, and it is time to give us the solutions we desperately need to end the tragedy.