The notification I got today was “17 Killed in School Shooting at Florida High School, Authorities Say.” I was sitting in Intro to Sociology and my heart dropped. In the three seconds it took me to discreetly unlock my phone and read the story in my news app, millions of possibilities were going through my head. I’m from Miami Beach, Florida. My younger sister goes to Miami Beach Senior High School. By the time the article loaded, I could barely make out the name of the school through the tears forming in my eyes. I saw it wasn’t Beach High, but as soon as I had finished my little thank you prayer to whatever higher power people pray to, new tears formed for the students and families at Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School.
The shooter, who I will not mention by name (#NoNotoriety), was kicked out of the school for unclear reasons but apparently had an interest in guns and violence. He pulled the fire alarm to try getting the people inside the school out onto the field but some stayed in classrooms and closets when they heard it was a Code Red, meaning there is a shooter on the premises. He had a semi-automatic AR-15. So far, 17 people have died and even more are in the hospital.
Maybe it’s because I thought for even a split second that my little sister could have been one of the victims, maybe it’s because I am one-degree separated from this school and am personally connected to several of the victims, or maybe it’s because I’m tired of seeing headlines about schools being shot up by people who shouldn’t have access to guns. MDS can’t just be another one added to the list of mass shootings. People get sad and people get angry, but lawmakers don’t do anything about them. Lawmakers have decided that it’s more important to stay in the NRA’s good graces than to save the lives of their constituents. That decision isn’t in the interests of the people who elected them and is therefore undemocratic and unconstitutional.
Thoughts and prayers are not enough anymore. We need action. To Rick Scott and Marco Rubio–who have both fought against gun control for years–this happened under your watch. A Floridian teenager bought a semi-automatic rifle, walked into a school, and killed people in the tenth deadliest shooting in US history. To President Donald J. Trump, who just proposed a budget that cuts millions from gun background checks, there have been eight school shootings in 2018 alone. Don’t finish reading this and close the tab. Instead, do something.
Here is the link to sign up for Moms Demand Action, here is the link to take action with Ceasefire, and here is a way to find out who your representative is and how to contact them.
Do something.