Another fatal shooting in a United States school happened last week. Take a second and read that sentence one more time. As we all have heard by now, this was not the second or third one, but one of hundreds since the Columbine shooting in 1999. I wasn’t alive when Columbine happened, but can you imagine how my life, along with millions of others, could have been different if U.S. representatives had come together to take action back then? That’s not to say that some didn’t.
Can you imagine the magnitude and impact laws could have made, in order to prevent civilians from having access to military grade weapons?
Imagine no Virginia Tech.
No Fort Hood.
No Sandy Hook.
No Pulse.
No Las Vegas.
No Texas First Baptist Church.
No Parkland.
These are not all of the shootings that happened, but they are some of the many. Behind this, I find a large calling and overall message. I’m talking to every citizen out there, and future citizens.
Especially to the children that grew up with me, we had to see this happen time after time. We know what it’s like to wake up to the news of a deadly shooting. We know what our families told us. We know what it’s like to hear a moment of silence at school that day. We know what people said at school. We know what our representatives didn’t do.
We have the power to come together to have a say and prevent tragedies like these from ever happening again.
It’s not only about gun policies, but policies in general. I want to be clear about not making this a partisan issue. I want to reach out to as many people as I can. This is a message about what you can do to improve the livelihood for you, your family, friends, communities, cities, states, and your country. You have a say: not only with your vote, but with your voice.
Find something on this list that you care about:
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Gun Control
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Health and Human Services
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Social Security
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Immigration
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The Economy
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Personal rights
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Infrastructure
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Agriculture
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Housing and Urban Development
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Climate Change
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Unemployment
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National Security
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Equality
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Racism
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Gender Discrimination
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Abortion
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Welfare
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Education
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Animal Rights
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Net Neutrality
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Taxes
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Surveillance
Each and every one of the issues listed above can help you start a conversation or message with your representatives. That’s not all, these are just some of the topics that you can choose to make a change.
I know some people are thinking “They will never listen to me” because “they follow their party lines” or that you’re one of thousands sending them messages. I can tell you first hand that you will be heard, because I have done it. I have contacted my representatives, and have had responses within days.
Now, here’s how you do it:
Start off by finding your representatives at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Then your senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm
After, draft up some messages for either emails, letters, or calls.
The last step is getting your message to them by sending it out.
Let your voice be heard and help start a movement for change. Most importantly, don’t forget who you are doing this for.
I want to recognize the lives of those lost in the Parkland shooting.
Alyssa Alhadeff. Scott Beigel. Martin Duque Anguiano. Nicholas Dworet. Aaron Feis. Jaime Guttenberg. Christopher Hixon. Luke Hoyer. Cara Loughran. Gina Montalto. Joaquin Oliver. Alaina Petty. Meadow Pollack. Helena Ramsay. Alex Schachter. Carmen Schentrup. Peter Wang
May they rest in peace, and may their families know that we are all here for them.