By Jackson Chadwick
Four years ago. Valentine’s Day. February 14th, 2018. On that day, 17 students and teachers lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It’s a day that sticks out, of course. But as I sit here writing this reflection, I cannot remember where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing when I heard the news break. I was most likely at school of all places. To reflect back now and think that 1,634 miles away from me 17 people were murdered in a matter of minutes is truly terrible to think about.
I remember watching the news in the following days. Survivors of the mass shooting speaking out on national television. David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, X González, to name a few. Not only were they honoring classmates and friends who died, but they were advocating for change, for mass reform. Even though the circumstances were dark and utterly depressing, it was also inspiring. There had not been many times in my life where I heard a group of students my age take the stand — take the role of adults — and push for much-needed change. Their words and their actions inspired me to take a stand, too.
Along with two other student leaders, I helped organize my school’s National School Walkout. The nationwide walkouts were in protest of the many mass school shootings that have plagued the U.S. over the years. Columbine, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, among the most notable, or shall I say deadly. However, many others seemingly didn’t make the headlines of national media outlets.
I argue that a mass shooting isn’t defined by a death toll or victim count but by the fact that again and again, these shootings keep happening. And it’s not just schools, but churches and synagogues, movie theaters and nightclubs, grocery and retail stores. They’ve happened at just about every public place you can imagine.
Our country is reactionary. For legislation to pass anywhere (especially in Congress), it feels as if something awful has to happen first. And even then, actual reform is hard to come by. Hell, it’s been four years since Parkland, and what major reform to counter mass shootings has since been passed by Congress? Nothing.
In his 2020 campaign, President Biden promised to take action on this issue. Even with a trifecta in government, Democrats are sleeping on this issue. I echo recent sentiments of survivors and activists Cameron Kasky and David Hogg that much more needs to be done by this administration.
Thankfully, some state governments have taken action – primarily in states where Democrats control the legislative chambers. There’s no one size fits all solution to curbing the gun violence and mass shooting epidemic, but there are many ways to get there: background checks, “red flag” laws, bans of semi-automatic weapons, increased mental health services, requiring licenses before purchasing guns, banning high-capacity magazines. The options are there, but our government must take action if we are to see real change.
If other countries can do it, why can’t we? Why aren’t we? Enough excuses.