It’s honestly about time that the new generation is beginning to involve themselves in government and make themselves aware of problems in today’s society. Our future is in our own hands, therefore pushing to ensure its security is imperative.

The shooting that happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a tragedy. 17 lives were taken at the hands of yet another mentally unstable mass shooter. It’s enough. I’m upset that this happened and sympathize with the families of the victims but I’m more furious than anything. Since Columbine happened in the year I was born, 1999, there have been 50 school shootings in the United States. I’ve had to live through roughly 50 school shootings, each impacting how safe I feel in somewhere as innocent as school. They all seemed to brush off of our shoulders until it became more and more local to Florida residents.

Beginning with Pulse Nightclub, where 49 total people were unfairly murdered simply for being a certain way. And now innocent teenagers. Kids who were slaughtered for what? There was no political stance for it. There was no reasoning behind the fact that a man, and I will continue to call him a man rather than a ‘troubled boy’, went into a school and killed innocent students who were doing nothing but trying to further their education.

This man was hate-filled. He was an extreme racist and homophobe. The audacity that news organizations have to attempt and ‘humanize’ this man is unacceptable. No matter how broken his childhood was, this gives no reason to do what he did.

Back to how nothing will be done to make this situation we call “The United States” any better. Less guns, less guns, less guns. We couldn’t scream it any louder but instead, Trump says “Give Teachers Guns!” This is the opposite of what is being asked. I’m not here to offend any teachers but I do not trust one to carry a weapon that can easily takes lives. The students, as well, are not mature enough to handle a handgun being in the classroom and this will inevitably result in nothing but adding gasoline to an already lit inferno.

In a perfect democracy, citizens can come together and push for positive change that they feel necessary.  Sadly, this has strayed from being a ‘for the people’ government to a best interest one. If government officials were easily able to shrug off the death of elementary school kids, I don’t expect anything less this time around.