This generation ‘will not be silent ever again’
We write as devastated, scared, and angry students who just spent days in Tallahassee fighting for those who don’t have voices anymore.
We write as students who have been seen screaming and crying for meaningful change across all media platforms for the last week.
We are writing this in honor of not only the 17 angels lost on February 14th of 2018, but for all victims of gun violence across the country.
We are all students from schools across Broward County (specifically Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, South Broward High School, and St. Thomas Aquinas High School) who have seen the lives of our friends and family torn apart right before our eyes.
As children who have witnessed this, along with other tragedies that have occurred due to military grade assault weapons and high-capacity magazines our entire lives, we are thankful for your thoughts and prayers but we need action. We need something to change. To put this into an extremely watered down and simple perspective, we have grown up in a reactive school system that taught us how to hide from a school shooter, rather than a proactive school system that went to the root of the problem and got rid of the killing machine they were shooting with.
As children who were always told that we should be seen and not heard, we never thought we would be writing an opinion editorial for the Sun Sentinel. Granted, we also never thought we would have to do an adult’s job for them. Our generation has received the short end of the stick, in regards to how we are looked upon and respected. Now, although we seem to be recognized and acknowledged, we will not be silent ever again.
We are the post-Columbine generation who grew up being told to play dead if a shooter storms in or to stay quiet so they couldn’t hear you. We have seen countless mass shootings across our TV screens like Sandy Hook and Pulse since we were learning how to walk. Now, the epidemic of gunnecessity related mass murders across the country is being combated by a barrage of youth protests. Enough is enough. Policy change seems to be harder than ever, even against weapons of mass destruction that do not belong on our domestic home front. Frankly, we would be absolutely terrified to raise a kid in the state of our country now.
We support and recognize the Second Amendment while fighting this fight, yet there is no need for a civilian to possess weapons and high-capacity magazines meant for war, and war alone. There is absolutely no reason for any civilian to own an Armalite Rifle (AR-15), a weapon designed to kill as efficiently as possible, along with other military grade assault weapons. There is no need to make potential mass killings easy for anyone.
If there is one common denominator among the mass shootings that have occurred in recent history, it has been the shooters’ deadly weapon of choice. It must be banned. Additionally, we believe in the of a national gun registry or database. If critics of this movement want to compare guns to cars, we as might as well register them like we do with our vehicles and get rid of the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act of 1968, a federal law preventing this registry from legally happening anywhere in the USA. Putting this registry into effect will streamline background checks and prevent guns from getting into the hands of people who shouldn’t have these machines of war in the first place.
People with mental health issues also should not be able to own a gun, and if there were stricter background checks that recognize when people are hospitalized for mental health, then maybe we could prevent these countless mass shootings happening across America.
The main thing we students want to see is meaningful change — not half-step measures designed to respond to political pressure. We want change in the way the gun control process works, change in the amount of funding schools receive, and change in how things are run in general. There is a major problem in America today and we will not stop until it gets fixed. We promise you that if you can’t undertake the necessary changes, you can bet that you will be voted out and someone more supportive toward this battle and our lives will take your place.
We think it is extremely reasonable to take these measures to protect the children that will be your future. We go to school ready to learn and ready to begin the paths to our futures. But when lives are being cut short because of the lack of firearm restrictions, we need to take a step back and fix the issue at the root of the problem, which is how inadequate gun regulations in this country are.
It is also worth mentioning that arming our school teachers is not a solution. Teachers are here to educate us, not to be soldiers. We can’t even imagine how destructive it will be to have more guns circulating in the school system. Why do we even need to tell you that adding more guns to schools is not the solution? Teachers barely receive enough money to be able to buy basic school supplies to begin with.
While in Tallahassee, we received overwhelming support from a number of legislators and adults and we thank you all a thousand times over. But to those countless legislators who disagreed and refused to listen to us, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, this is a very reasonable proposal of necessary change, and you should expect nothing less than a wonderful retirement when you are voted out of office in the upcoming election.
You may not be ones who keep your word, but we surely will keep ours.
This op-ed was written by Victoria Mejia, 15, South Broward High School; Sheryl “Oli” Acquaroli, 16, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School; Daniella Ellison, 17, St. Thomas Aquinas High School; Logan Green, 16, South Broward High School; Ashley Hernandez, 16, South Broward High School