In our country, it’s no question to many that we do indeed have a gun problem. Now, before everyone goes crazy worrying about their guns and whether they’re going to be taken away, just hear me out.

On the face of many issues, we are a nation divided, especially when it comes to the safety of our own. So why do we then only send out thoughts and prayers to the victims and families of school shootings instead of taking action?

Our future, our youth, our kids are dying. Doesn’t that bother anyone? Sometimes it feels like I’m a very small voice in a very big void begging someone to do something about this, and I know I’m not the only one, but small voices are harder to hear.

17 people died in the recent Parkland shooting. That’s 17 lives that were taken away from us way too soon. Lives that were making a difference in our chaotic world. If only one person had lost their life during that event it would still be too many.

I don’t want to take away your guns. Don’t worry your pretty little minds about it. What I, as well as many others, want is stricter gun control. It should not be so incredibly easy to go out and buy an AR-15.

I want stricter background checks. I want it harder to buy to buy assault weapons. I want a lot of things regarding the purchasing and owning of guns. But mainly, I want the youth of our country to be safe. Because right now, that is not the case.

Just yesterday I got a text from my best friend who goes to a different college than me. I thought it was going to be something lighthearted, maybe something about the concert we’re going to later in the year, but it was actually something quite terrifying.

Instead of happily babbling about concerts and outfits, she sent me a text that her school was on lockdown and there was an active shooter near her campus. Her dorm was the closest to the street that he was on. One person was killed. He was not a student, nor was he on campus but it still should not have happened and was a very scary experience for everyone involved.

Today, a few minutes ago, my other best friend’s college had to go on lockdown because someone threatened to shoot up the campus. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the lockdown has since been lifted.

In both of these instances, my heart froze in my chest. This could not be happening. Not this close to home, but it was. Even though neither college actually got shot up, it was still a terrifying experience and I wasn’t even there.

My best friends and other students were hiding under their beds for over an hour, scared that they were going to get shot. Given worse circumstances that definitely could have happened, I could have lost both of my best friends in the span of two days because of idiots with guns. What if it had been your child under that bed or under a desk in an elementary school?

Children are scared to go school, parents are afraid to send them. Kids should not have to worry about getting shot at school and the youth of our country should not have to worry about whether or not their school or their best friend’s school might become a target for a shooting.

Can we please do something this time? Before more kids have to die to grab someone’s attention.

“If children are slaughtered in their school and your reaction is “Don’t you dare think about taking my gun!!” rather than, “How do we stop this from ever happening again??” then we don’t have a difference in political opinion. We have a difference in morality.”- tweet from Zach Hunt