By: Margo Greenbaum
It has been 365 days since someone lost their sibling, child, parent, friend, or spouse. It has been 365 days since someone took a gun into the Parkland school and shot and killed 17 innocent victims. It has been 365 days since the shooting and common sense gun legislation still has not been passed. It has been 365 days since that tragic day, but we are still fighting.
Every day I hope and pray that I do not see the words “mass shooting” pop up on my phone and every day I pray that a shooting does not take place on my campus. I am lucky enough to not have been part of the Santa Fe shooting on May 18, 2018, or the Pittsburgh shooting on October 27, 2018. I am lucky enough to live in a country where I can speak up and speak out about our unjust government.
I have the right to question why our President thinks a wall will stop illegal immigrants from entering this country. Why he first said that “Mexico will pay for the wall,” but was the reason why our government was shut down for a record time of 35 days because Congress could not agree on a plan for the wall. I question why is it that our country is so focused on possible dangers outside our borders and will spend billions of dollars to protect them, but why we do not look at one of our biggest dangers in this country, which are guns. “Gun violence archive” in Washington DC states that from January 1 to February 3, 44 people have been killed by guns. There have been fewer days in 2019 than the number of fatalities, but the news only talks about the wall. Which makes me question, why will politicians only send their love and prayers to victims and their families, but are not willing to fight as hard to protect our kids from guns, as they fight for this wall.
If you were not watching the boring game on Super Bowl Sunday you might have read on CNN's page, “ICE arrests 21 Savage, says he’s illegally in the US.” This singer has been an illegal immigrant since 2006k. but has made millions of dollars with his music. I question how ICE “did not” realize that a very popular rapper was undocumented, but the FBI did not look more into warnings and red flags they were given about the shooter before the Parkland shooting took place. I question why President Trump is not stopping his own citizens from getting military weapons so they can not shoot other American citizens but is giving Congress until tomorrow to make a deal or he will shut down the government, again.
Today is Valentines Day for the majority. But, for 17 families and everyone else who knew them, it is a day of mourning. I am lucky enough to be able to keep fighting for common gun legislation to be passed, one day.