I recently watched a video titled “Me & Mass Shootings”. Many of you have probably seen it as it is being shared around Facebook, but if you have not you can watch it here. The video was of a man, Eugene Lee Yang, discussing his personal relationship with mass shootings as well as this generation as a whole’s relationship with mass shootings. The poignant and important points he brought up were ones which are often overlooked in the discussion of mass shootings, but hopefully no longer.

One of the first things he said was that “he longest and most influential relationship he’s ever had is with mass shootings”. This is a sad reality than any millennial raised in the United States can relate to. The amount of mass shootings that have happened in this generation’s lifetime is almost uncountable. Yet they continue to happen. After every tragic shooting it seems as though the majority of this country simultaneously says “never again”, but there have been many agains. He discussed how with each of these heartbreaking events, it divides us when we should be joining together to figure out how to stop the violence. Taking the deaths of innocent people and turning them into arguments, debates and “I told you so’s” is not what we should be doing. We need to unify because no matter what your personal beliefs are, these massive acts of violence are not what we want. He explained how all these acts of violence has not only this generation petrified, but the entire country in fear. The United States should not be built upon our fears. We should use our fears and stand up to make the differences we want. We should not accept that this is the way the world is, but that is what we are doing. We are expecting the worst of each other instead of working towards change and unity.

One of the most important points he made was that this generation takes these sorrowful events and only discusses them for a brief period of time, usually with themes of “we should have done this” or “doing this wouldn’t stop these from happening”. In the mess of social media soap boxes, we forget that lives were lost and that is the biggest issue. He mentions how millennials tend to do a lot of talking, but never act, and how it needs to change. Violence is the common enemy. We can all agree on that. Mass shootings are not something any of us want. We need to act. At the end of the video he listed the links to get in touch with your senators and representatives. I will be listing the same links at the end of this article. It is crucial that we use our voices and that we shape this country into the country we want our children to grow up in. I, myself will be writing a letter and sending it in because I am tired of seeing headlines dictating how many injured and how many already dead.

We’ve grown up on mass shootings. It’s unfortunate but it is the truth. Many in this generation are no longer with us due to this type of violence, and it is our job as remaining millennials to look out for one another. We need to make sure we do not lose any more of us. Speak out in a way that matters. Broadcasting your opinion in 140 characters or less won’t change anything. Find a way to make a real difference.

And here are those links I promised:

Contact a Senator

http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Contact a House Representative

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/