More often than it should, we've heard an abundance of situations involving mass shooters and the atrocities they've committed.
Quite frankly, our country has started to become desensitized to the matter and a part of this vicious cycle; The cycle where the outcome is to simply send "thoughts and prayers" and hope that a tragedy like this will never occur again rather than taking the necessary steps to prevent something like this from ever happening again.
On February 14th, Valentine's Day of all days, a former student named Nikolas Cruz walked into his former high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas and killed a total of 17 people while injuring more than 20 people.
Can someone explain to me how its only 45 days into 2018 and there have been 18 school shootings? Can someone explain to me why it was easier for him to obtain an AR-15 than a beer? Can someone explain to me why Congress hasn't already unanimously agreed to make the change in the world?
We don't want your condolences, thoughts, or prayers –– we want change. We want new policies and regulations to be established to prevent this from ever happening again. Why is that such a hard concept to grasp? I'm not saying we should abolish guns entirely, but something needs to change here.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is located in Parkland, Florida in Broward County. I grew up in Broward County and anyone from South Florida can tell you that Parkland is a community that you could never fathom the thought of this happening here. In movies where they portray a suburban neighborhood where everything seems a little too nice is how you could imagine Parkland.
Parkland was just voted one of the safest cities last year and yet this event took place here. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is approximately 20 minutes from the high school I attended. I've visited Marjory Stone Douglas for meetings when I was in Student Government. I know people and friends that have graduated from that school. It's a hard concept to wrap my head around that something like this has happened so close to home and my heart weighs heavily for the families, victims, and community.
When you hear about something like this happening on the news, you never imagine the possibility that it can happen in your hometown.
To think that these parents were sending their kids off to school, only for them to not return breaks my heart. These victims who were mercilessly killed was someone's child, friend, or a loved one.
Some of these victims had just begun their journey in high school as well as some who were ready to graduate and embrace what the world had to offer them afterward. Not to mention the selfless teachers who are heroes for doing all they could to make sure the kids were safe first, who will always be remembered as heroes.
I have read almost every article, seen every video that was taken and made public, and I still can't comprehend all that has happened. Will this be the final time we all gather as a nation and mourn the innocent lives lost due to a "mental illness," "troubled childhood," or something along the lines of anything but terrorist and for what they truly were, a killer?
Sure, I'd like to imagine this will be the last time the statistics raise higher. The last time our underpaid teachers have to drill their students for active shooter situations.
The last time there are victims and mourning. But, Congress needs to accept the reality and take the necessary actions to prevent the "next." I'm afraid that until then, what. What happens? I shouldn't be afraid to attend school nor feel that my life is currently being compromised; No student should ever have to feel that way. As a nation, we will come together to continue to fight this fight until something is changed.
May the victim's families find closure and love in their hearts. May the community band together stronger than ever before to overcome this tragedy. May the universe bring nothing but good to the students who had to go through this traumatic experience and watch their classmates die. May the this be the time that there is change.