Students have finally said enough is enough.

     After that fateful day in Parkland, Florida when a former student entered Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire on campus staff and students, killing 17 and wounding many more, students have taken to the internet and to the streets to spread the word far and wide, no more. There have been 25 school shootings since two students set off bombs and guns inside a Columbine High School. Now it ends. The March for Our Lives movement has caught the attention of many celebrities, including a part-time resident of Texas- Matthew McConaughey.

     McConaughey made a speech at a march in Austin, Texas fighting for a “common ground on what [I] see as a very much common sense issue.” The actor stated that the issue is everybody’s issue and not just from a political standpoint. Other celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon, Demi Lovato, and Miley Cyrus showed their support as well. Amarillo citizens also participated in their own march on March 24, starting on the north side of town. They marched from Elwood Park to the Old Potter County Courthouse.

     An estimated 200,000 voices marched to convey their message to the government, voices that don’t intend on being silenced until they see that they’ve been heard. It won’t be easy to ignore such a big movement, especially one that involves student safety in an educational setting. The trivial topic of guns and the second amendment has been an ongoing conversation across the nation for a long time.

     One solution that has been proposed to the media is to allow teachers who have a concealed weapons license to carry their weapon on campus. Bringing even more guns into a school environment via teachers honestly scares me, there is already an armed police officer on campus. If the shooter somehow manages to disarm the teacher, it opens up to a chance of an even longer victims list than there was before. A basic understanding of aiming and shooting a firearm might become a necessity, which from my standpoint – a high school student – serves as a better outcome and gives me peace of mind.

     America is a country for the people, and the people want to be heard. And it’s not just random people, it’s the future voters of our great country. The issue of gun violence needs to be fixed before someone decides to fix it in their own violent way. Gun violence is a very important issue, and it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with. We have had the same gun control laws since 1968, after the Kennedy assassination.  Nobody wants to go to school scared that they won’t be walking out ever again. It is a right to carry a weapon but it’s also not the 18th century anymore. Times have changed and it’s time that our laws change with it.