School Shootings: #Neveragain

On December 14, 2012, a young man named Adam Lanza took an AR-15, two semi-automatic pistols, a shotgun, and several hundred rounds of ammunition to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Lanza shot and killed 27 people, including his mother, Nancy Lanza, 20 children, and six adults. He carried out the worst mass shooting at a school to date.

I remember that day so clearly. My high school in Greenwich, Conn. was put on lockdown when we heard the news that Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown had a shooter in the school. Fear and anxiety cast over my high school. If this could happen just a few towns over, who’s stopping it from happening to us?

It was hard to try to move on from a tragedy that took such innocent lives. Many families grieved the loss of their children. They wanted nothing more than for this to never happen again. But it did.

Feb.14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz took an AR-15 rifle he legally purchased and took an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Cruz shot and killed 14 students and three staff members. Terrified students had to watch as their classmates and teachers died in front of them.

This did not deter them from the issue that became so clear. Gun laws need to change to protect our schools so not one more child has die waiting for action to be taken. That’s why the survivors of the Parkland school shooting are leaders in the March For Our Lives movement.

Students of Stoneman Douglas High School said thoughts and prayers weren’t enough for them. They wanted change. They wasted no time in using the power of social media for outreach, creating the hashtag, #NeverAgain.

“We can't ignore the issues of gun control that this tragedy raises, and so, I'm asking -- no, demanding -- we take action now," said Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the Parkland shooting.

It has been just over five weeks since their peers were murdered at their school, but the survivors of the Parkland shooting have already organized two marches. Their most recent march on March 24th took place in many cities across the world.

These marches across America and the world had three demands: pass a law to ban assault weapons, stop the sale of high-capacity magazines, and implement laws that require background checks on all gun purchases. These demands will have a difficult time gaining traction with politicians who are influenced by financial donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA).

March For Our Lives has called attention to these politicians who take money from the NRA. Bringing this issue to light and showing the public how big businesses can control policy is part of the fight for stricter gun laws.

March For Our Lives has now focused their attention on getting new voters to register for the November midterms to vote out politicians who don’t support gun law reform.

Getting informed about your local and state politicians and if they support gun law reform is the first step. The next, getting your friends and taking a trip to the polls after you register to vote in the November elections.

Having a vision for how change will come in the future is why this movement has great potential and the momentum needed to make change so this #NeverAgain happens.