The recent high school shooting in Parkland, Florida has left me heartbroken, and it has caused me to view our society in a much more cautious way than I did before.
On social media, I have been seeing a lot of political views regarding this tragic event. Honestly, I have many opinions about various topics, but whether I am a Republican or Democrat, a conservative or liberal, or any other juxtaposed term that is utilized to divide our nation, well, I do not believe that these labels matter so much in this dire situation. We are all people and we are all Americans and we should all realize that we, as a nation, are in trouble.
What is most important, I believe, is that this shooting, and all of the others, have left me and so many others feeling absolutely devastated. And it has left us children of this country feeling scared and unsafe. I don’t know what the solution is, whether it’s gun control or mental health care that needs to change. How I see it, every solution has some sort of loophole, and there seems to be some sort of argument against any solution presented.
I do not pretend to know how to solve this absurd amount of mass shootings in our country, and I am sure many of you have your opinions and ideas, which is great. However, what I do know is that we, the kids of America, deserve to feel safe and protected in our own schools. But, to do this we have to drop our labels and unite. Yes, it is extremely important to voice our opinions and to find compromise on certain issues, but there should be no compromising, no arguments, when it comes to children’s lives.
This shooting has left a major impact on me. I can’t imagine losing one person at my school, let alone 18. I also think that the aspect of this shooting occuring in a similar community to my own has made think about this situation even more fully. This could have happened anywhere. The community of Parkland is thought to be one of safest in our country. Who could have imagined that this would happen? Those poor kids went to school expecting a normal school day—maybe even better than a normal day because it was Valentines Day. Instead, they heard gunshots and witnessed their friends and teachers getting killed. I cannot imagine the parents that day—sending their kids to school and then finding out that some of their kids would not come home. This is what real horror is. And schools should never be places where kids witness that kind of horror. The thought of it terrifies me, and that this could happen anywhere is even more terrifying.
Like I wrote earlier, I am not sure how to regulate guns to minimize these attacks. I’m only fourteen. But, I personally don’t see a reason for anyone to have an automatic weapon, for it seems to only be effective for these crazy mass shootings. I understand that regulating the purchases of these guns might not help to reduce mass shootings, but the fact that it was extremely easy for a troubled kid to obtain an automatic weapon makes me worry for our country.
I hope that our government continues to work to solve this issue. During this time, I think it’s important for adults to drop their political labels and realize that this country has had enough. Change something now. For the sake of your children. We all deserve to feel safe and secure. This is our childhood. Please give it back to us.
xoJilly
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