Every single time it's the same. A shooting. A mass shooting. A school shooting. A church shooting. A movie theater, a department store, a concert, a home. We've seen it all as a nation, but when is enough enough? How many innocent people need to be murdered by guns for our government to wake up and see the harsh reality of how people are living in fear for their safety, and the safety of their loved ones no matter where they go. These are my personal political beliefs on how we as a nation need to fix something because frankly, the people in power in this country have disappointed us.

With recent shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a school shooting in North Carolina, people have sent hopes and prayers to the many people affected by both tragedies. When do we stop giving just hopes and prayers, and accompany them with change? In elementary school, I always felt safe. Yes, there had been school shootings, but the gun violence climate was not what it is today. Going to high school and throughout was a different story. I felt unsafe at school. Kids now have to learn lockdown drills in case an armed shooter got into the school. Security has increased, some schools even have metal detectors when you walk in, or police guards that sit outside. At what point did our country become so numb to the fact that our children can't even go to school anymore and be safe? They go to learn and grow, not to get shot at. After shootings like Sandy Hook or Stoneman Douglas, our nation as a whole was shocked, but it apparently wasn't enough. You never think these types of tragedies could affect you or your loved ones until they do, and when they do, your life is changed forever. We must talk about this until something is done. We owe this to our children, to our families, to our peers, to everyone who lives in this country, to not be silenced about gun violence.

So why is it that we only hope and pray? The solution to this question is simple. Stricter gun laws. I'm tired of seeing the NRA and the far right saying it is not a gun problem. Instead, it's a mental health problem or a lack of protection problem. If guns were not so easily accessible to people, we would not see as many tragedies. Our politicians that are elected by us and are supposed to serve us as a representative, back into corners and shy away from actually making a change. We must question the political climate of our country and wonder when both sides will see how much damage has been done.

As we approach midterm elections, I hope that as a nation, we will open our eyes as to how we are becoming numb to gun violence. To do something about it, we have to elect people who are going to make changes to our current gun laws. As a young person, this will be the first time I vote, and I'm hoping that anyone reading this will go and vote too in order to make a difference.