Here we are five years after the Parkland shooting and countless lives are still being taken. It seems like every day we see more mass shootings that were preventable if you would have taken action. But you refuse to do so.
When are all of us going to see the change we deserve? When another tragic event happens? Well guess what, it’s far too late for that. Now it seems mass shootings are normalized and are all too common in our world.
So, when are you going to change things? When something like this happens to your child or family member? I think so, but let me tell you all something: That COULD have been someone you care about, so why not do whatever you can to protect them the same way you would for your own loved one?
I have heard time and time again that now is not the time to talk about gun control. Instead, you move to the topic of mental health and how that is the real issue here. I think mental health plays a part to some degree, but let’s get real with each other here. You may not like what I have to say next, but I don’t care.
Guns play a bigger part in this issue than you want to admit.
Are you trying to make yourselves feel better by blaming these mass shootings on mental health instead of guns? In my opinion, both sides require fixing. Mental health needs to be better all around. This way, people like these students who have had to live through these experiences can have a set mental health care team to help deal with these issues. Mental health care can also maybe prevent something like this from happening.
What do I mean when I say a mental health care team? When someone shows signs of mental health issues, the way the gunman in Parkland did before anything happened, set up a plan for this individual. Include their parents or guardian in the discussion so they can take steps outside of school to follow through on, like getting a therapist. Have a doctor and a caseworker set up this plan and see what can be done to ensure this person gets the help they so desperately need.
The second part of this is the gun control issue. I am not saying no one can ever buy a gun again. What I am saying is we must have stricter gun laws in place. And don’t make it so easy for someone to buy a gun (especially someone with mental health issues). Start with more detailed background checks.
Will these things I brought to your attention help? I don’t know. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t, but something has to change.
Not next year, not next month, not when you feel like it – RIGHT NOW!! We need to stop fighting about this.
It doesn’t matter what side you’re on politically here, people and children are dying. It’s unfortunate when people on social media and activists are showing more outrage and wanting more of a change in this than you all are.
Stop the damn fighting and show some leadership in this moment and say enough is enough. Come to an agreement that helps the people you’re suppose to serve. That is what I want to see. It’s up to us to hold you to that. We are doing our part by marching and asking for change. Now it’s up to all of you to do what you need to make sure that happens on the political side so that no one else ever has to worry about sending a loved one into the world without getting a chance to say I love you one last time.
Feature Image by Alex Radelich on Unsplash
