On February 14, 2018, nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz decided to turn a day of love into a day of mourning. Cruz is being charged with first-degree murder for his Valentine’s Day rampage, which impacted 34 students and their families at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — 17 of whom are now dead.

The debate about gun control is stuck in an endless loop, with no visible end in sight. It is time to stop talking, and take action. The National Rifle Association (NRA) will not back down and is supported by the many politicians (on both sides of the aisle) that the organization has supported and successfully elected into office to serve their agenda. Proper security measures, like a ban on assault weapons such as the AR-15 used by Cruz, limits on high capacity magazines, as well as a legal buying age for purchasing firearms, could have prevented this horrific event.
It is horrifying that even after hundreds of families have been affected by tragedies like Columbine, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, and the Orlando nightclub for years, nothing has been done to stop gun violence. Instead, our politicians are willing to sign a bill that will allow school personnel to have loaded guns on school campuses. The thought of arming teachers to protect students is flawed and could lead to the loss of more innocent lives.

I believe that we students, who are the future of this country, have the power to bring about real change. Although we may not be old enough to vote, we can still influence our friends and families to vote for politicians who have the courage to do the right thing instead of serving special interest groups. We have to do everything we can to ensure a safer future not only for our children but for future generations to come.