We are only three months into 2018, and yet there have been 48 mass shootings this year alone. 18 of those have been shootings occurring on school grounds.
I had a hard time gathering the words to write this article, because I can’t begin to express how broken this makes me and so many others, feel. There isn’t much I can coherently say other than that if the Parkland tragedy hasn’t already woken up the rest of America, I’m fearful as to what it will take. It shouldn’t have to take anything else. These are innocent lives being taken away far too soon. This does not have to happen again. At this point, it’s clear that the issue of gun violence is beyond our thoughts and prayers. There needs to be policy and change going forward.
As a teacher, this makes me fear for not only my own life, but most importantly, for the lives of the students I will teach. School shouldn’t have to be a place where kids have to worry about getting hurt. Parents shouldn’t have to drop their children off at what is supposed to be a welcoming community of learning and discovery, only to see on the news that their child’s school has received yet another threat. No one deserves to live in this kind of fear, and as much as I have prayed and desperately hoped for the violence to stop, I’ve determined that it’s not going to get better until we take some kind of action as a country.
Personally, I have never been an advocate for guns. I think that they are necessary for our military and police force to use, but I don’t think they should be used as a hobby. Although many people own guns and use them strictly for recreational purposes, I can’t help but argue that being able to obtain a gun so easily is a driving factor in the spike of mass shootings.
I mentioned before that it’s time to take action. I’m not a politician —in fact, this is the first time I’ve ever spoken publicly about anything political. I don’t know what the best approach to this issue is, all I know is that restricting access to guns, at this point, seems like a viable solution. While some may disagree, I argue that nothing’s changing under our current policy, which is essentially a free-for-all. I think limiting weapons to only military and police may be a measure we have to take one day if this continues.
My main point is that this issue shouldn’t further divide the two parties. Rather, it should bring us all to the conclusion that regardless of who you are, or where you come from, you are valued and deserve to feel safe in this country.