We live in a world in which discussing uncomfortable topics forces citizens to accept the harsh reality of what is hurting the world. American citizens are being forced to understand that gun violence is reaching a new height — to the point that mass shootings killing children and young adults and teachers being armed with guns are becoming the hottest topics of discussion. 

The reality is that Florida lawmakers — and everyone else who believes that teachers should be armed with guns — shows how lost society is becoming. What is being ignored is how it affects the mental health of children, young adults and teachers. Students must fear for their lives every day they walk into their educational institution. An educational institution is supposed to be a haven where learning the fundamentals will help prepare you for life, not watching a best friend get killed. 

The reality is that paranoia and anxiety sits in the back of the minds of students every time someone makes a sudden movement. Some may just think students are being paranoid, but being cautious of your surroundings is necessary especially when you are unsure if the next mass shooting could be at your school. It can be movements as simple as a student leaving their backpack in the middle of a hallway or the electricity going out in the institution where you must watch the door every second, unsure if someone will burst in and open fire. 

Students and teachers who never had to think twice of something traumatic happening to them or their peers must now think twice of the possibility of gun violence. “In a month since 17 students and faculty members were killed by a suspected lone gunman at a high school in Parkland, Florida, there have already been more than 15 more mass shootings in America,” according to the Gun Violence Archive. To make matters worse, March 14 was National Walkout Day where students from all over the United States walked out of classes as a sign of solidarity for gun control. “[There were students] in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Santa Monica; at Columbine High School and in Newtown, Connecticut; and in more cities and towns, students left school by the hundreds and the thousands by 10 a.m.,” according to The New York Times. 

Students are transforming their pain from losing their friends and classmates into passion by walking out and making a statement to the world. It’s young voices that are speaking out at gun control protests because it is the young people who are tired of feeling unsafe. It is the younger generation that is starting the conversation, and for change to happen, people have to be receptive to change

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