Last semester, one of my professors talked about how his generation had basically caused many many problems and then left them all for our generation. This was the first time I had ever heard an adult acknowledge that their generation was not the all-time greatest and most intelligent generation ever.

Since that day, I have been thinking about how my “generation” (I quote it because the years of 1997-2001 don’t exactly fit any named generation) has been incredibly vocal and active about various topics. We understand and recognize that the past generations have caused many problems environmentally and socially, and they have chosen not to fix it.

One of the many problems that has been brought to the attention of my generation quite abruptly is the easy access to guns. America has seen an unimaginable amount of school shootings even since the beginning of 2018. While these are not entirely new the the United States, they have become much more prevalent in the news as well as in our conversations.

The people of my generation decided that enough was enough, and that the government is able to make a change, but refuses to do so. March for Our Lives is an event that is happening across the nation on March 24th. People in cities from Los Angeles to Denver to Boston are planning marches to “ demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools.”

Here is why I’m going.

Politicians love to say that young people can’t make a difference. But they are wrong.

The victims of the Parkland shooting have organized this nationwide event and have already been on Ellen to talk about it.

Parents and teachers say that we are irresponsible and shouldn’t get to make decisions. But they are wrong.

My generation may sometimes follow dumb trends and make mistakes, but we are the future, and I would hope we get to make some decisions about it.

Some people believe that the second amendment is a right, and should not be a privilege. But they are wrong.

Thomas Jefferson said the Constitution should be rewritten every 19 years to be relevant with the times. The Second Amendment was added in 1791.

I’m going to march because I want to see change. I want the people in power to see how important it is to our entire country that we make it much more difficult for anyone to get a weapon.

I am going to march not only for all the students that have been impacted and killed by gun violence, but also because those students could have easily been me. The friends who died could have been my friends. The teachers could have been my teachers.

I think it is important to be vocal about issues that you are passionate about. This is something that will make history, and I want to be able to say that I was on the right side of history.

Hopefully, you plan to join a march too!

March for Our Lives has a map of all the marches going on across the nation. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.