Twenty-seven.
In 2018, there have been 27 instances where a firearm was used in a school setting in a violent manner, according to Everytown For Gun Safety.
Of the 27, 15 resulted in injuries or death.
Of the 27, 26 were mourned with hashtags and Twitter trends begging Congress for change.
Those 27 instances elicited groans of “Not again” and “How many is that this year?”
And then those 27 were swept under the rug for politicians to deal with another day.
But not number 17.
On Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz entered Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15 (a semi-automatic rifle) and killed 17 students and staff members, marking the 17th armed incident on a school campus for 2018.
What followed was to be expected: #PrayForParkland, #MSDStrong, #NeverAgain.
But then, the unexpected– students weren’t satisfied.
This time, students are refusing to let Congress appease them with empty promises of gun reform and rehearsed statements about how their thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families.
We are tired of text messages from endangered friends hidden in barricaded classroom closets and relatives marking themselves safe on Facebook– and we are letting it be known.
This time, it’s different.
This time, we’re not stopping until we make a noticeable change.
Activists like Stoneman Douglas’ Emma González, a senior, are not letting the protests die down because something needs to be done this time.
At CNN’s town hall on Feb. 21, González confronted National Rifle Association spokesperson Dana Loesch, asking her if she believes semi-automatic weapons should be more difficult to obtain, to which Loesch responded with wishy washy remarks calling Cruz “crazy” and “nuts.”
González, not pleased with the change in subject, refocused Loesch on the question at hand and still received a less-than-satisfactory answer along the lines of “the NRA does not support ‘crazy’ people.”
Despite dodging questions, the Stoneman Douglas students did not back down. Cameron Kasky, a junior, even asked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) if he will turn down monetary support from the NRA.
Because of students like these, this time, there will be a tangible change.
In fact, since Parkland, five steps have been taken towards a safer school system, according to news organization The Cut.
Students around the country have also seized this opportunity to organize multiple walkouts, the most popular being March 24’s “March For Our Lives.”
Carlmont students participated in a school-wide walkout on March 14 where they wrote letters to Congress, pre-registered to vote, and stood up for their peers.
This time, our voices will be heard louder than they ever have been before.
This time, we will not back down until a change is made.
This time, we are saying #NeverAgain.
In 2018, there have been 27 instances where a firearm was used in a school setting in a violent manner, according to Everytown For Gun Safety.
Of the 27, 15 resulted in injuries or death.
Of the 27, 26 were mourned with hashtags and Twitter trends begging Congress for change.
Those 27 instances elicited groans of “Not again” and “How many is that this year?”
And then those 27 were swept under the rug for politicians to deal with another day.
But not number 17.
On Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz entered Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15 (a semi-automatic rifle) and killed 17 students and staff members, marking the 17th armed incident on a school campus for 2018.
What followed was to be expected: #PrayForParkland, #MSDStrong, #NeverAgain.
But then, the unexpected– students weren’t satisfied.
This time, students are refusing to let Congress appease them with empty promises of gun reform and rehearsed statements about how their thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families.
We are tired of text messages from endangered friends hidden in barricaded classroom closets and relatives marking themselves safe on Facebook– and we are letting it be known.
This time, it’s different.
This time, we’re not stopping until we make a noticeable change.
Activists like Stoneman Douglas’ Emma González, a senior, are not letting the protests die down because something needs to be done this time.
At CNN’s town hall on Feb. 21, González confronted National Rifle Association spokesperson Dana Loesch, asking her if she believes semi-automatic weapons should be more difficult to obtain, to which Loesch responded with wishy washy remarks calling Cruz “crazy” and “nuts.”
González, not pleased with the change in subject, refocused Loesch on the question at hand and still received a less-than-satisfactory answer along the lines of “the NRA does not support ‘crazy’ people.”
Despite dodging questions, the Stoneman Douglas students did not back down. Cameron Kasky, a junior, even asked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) if he will turn down monetary support from the NRA.
Because of students like these, this time, there will be a tangible change.
In fact, since Parkland, five steps have been taken towards a safer school system, according to news organization The Cut.
- Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods have made it so that customers must be 21 to purchase a gun. The two have also changed policies surrounding semi-automatic rifles.
- A number of major companies have severed their ties with the NRA.
- President Trump directed the Department of Justice to issue a ban on bump stocks, a device that makes it easier and quicker to fire.
- Some states have proposed tighter legislation surrounding gun-control laws.
- Support for gun-control groups, like Everytown for Gun Safety, has greatly increased, both in volunteers and donations.
Students around the country have also seized this opportunity to organize multiple walkouts, the most popular being March 24’s “March For Our Lives.”
Carlmont students participated in a school-wide walkout on March 14 where they wrote letters to Congress, pre-registered to vote, and stood up for their peers.
This time, our voices will be heard louder than they ever have been before.
This time, we will not back down until a change is made.
This time, we are saying #NeverAgain.