Why The Fight for Gun Safety Legislation Matters for Young People Like Me
By: Aviva Varma
Being a student in this day and age is nothing short of terrifying. My friends and I walk into class every day, fearing school shootings and knowing that even if we do survive the day, we’re faced with the burdens of climate change, student loans, and increasing class stratification.
And yet, despite the abundance and severity of issues that concern us, we’re silenced by adults. We’re told that we’re “too young to understand” and dismissed without a second thought. Teenagers across the nation experience this on a daily basis. Our parents, teachers, and politicians do their best to prevent us from talking about gun control, but keeping quiet isn’t an option when firearms are a leading cause of death for us. We can’t afford to stay silent because while we’re offered numerous thoughts and prayers, they aren’t enough to keep us safe when we’re crouched underneath our desks, waiting with bated breath.
What we need is strict legislation that stops a sixteen-year-old like myself from buying guns online without passing a background check and requiring a gun license. What we don’t need is a repeat of the Parkland shooting. I still remember sitting in bed the night that it happened, and begging my mother to allow me to stay home the next day because someone had posted a picture on social media, claiming that my high school was the next target. It wasn’t okay then, and it isn’t okay now. No kid should ever be afraid of going to school, a place for learning and personal betterment.
Our nation has changed drastically within the last couple of decades, but it’s our job to ensure that it changes for the better. This is our fight. This is what inspires me to work relentlessly to ensure that I make a positive impact, whether it’s on my neighborhood, my community, or the country at large. Luckily, this is a fight that can be won. It’s already ten times closer to being won the moment we decide to join it.
Once we do that, we’re faced with numerous routes that we can take to achieve our goals, whether that involves attending Days of Action to canvass and increase awareness of the need for gun safety legislation, working alongside local gun safety campaigns like March for Our Lives, or participating in student protests at the State Capitol. Every action we take, no matter how seemingly little, brings us closer to a safer future for the next generation of students. Don’t hesitate. Join the fight now.
Aviva Varma is a Spring 2020 Intern with Representative Anna V. Eskamani’s 2020 re-election campaign, and a student at Olympia High School.