It is a sad chapter in our nation’s history when our young children, the future of this great country, have to rally for one essential need – the need to stay alive, to not be shot or maimed by somebody armed with a weapon. They are pleading for the most elemental right of every life form on this planet – just to stay alive and well.
As I listened to the videos and read the outpouring of the young people from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it occurred to me that while we live in the United States of America, we send our children to school in war zones. They might as well walk out of picture perfect communities and well go to school in war-torn regions such as Syria or Afghanisthan.
The trepidation and trauma these children experience cannot be that far away from the experiences of those children who live in war zones – subject to the precipitous uncertainty of mindless slaughter, as their lives could be severed or maimed by these killing weapons. We must remember that the effects of a single shooting incident does not stop with just that school, it reverberates around the country, sending chills through the hearts of every student around the nation.
Now, how can we expect our children to excel or even learn anything in an atmosphere plagued by the fear of getting shot?
Imagine the increased angst of the parents, who would worry about their children’s safety, no matter what the age. Think about the teachers, who have to stay in a constant state of vigil, because they are not just responsible for shaping the minds of these young children, but sometimes have to die from the bullet spewing guns in order to save the lives of these very students. Imagine the orphaned children of these teachers.
How can we thump our chests and boast about being the greatest nation on earth, when we live in a country, where our children’s lives matter less than the weapons that kill them?
As an adult, I am ashamed to be one of the grown-ups who has let down our children, watching helplessly as life after young life, get snuffed out by automatic weapons, while the NRA and their minion lawmakers, show no decency as they slander these adolescents – these young survivors, who are the only sensible adults in this twisted reality that we live today.
So, go ahead young people, you know you are doing the right thing. Keep up the relentless drumbeat of peaceful protests and rallies, until you find enough sensible lawmakers who can enact laws that would put an end to this senseless bloodshed.
Build a better nation so that your children can attend schools that are vibrant places to thrive and blossom into better individuals, where there is separation of schools and shooting galleries, where the teachers are trained professionals who understand the gravity of moulding young minds and not cowboys, ready to shoot from their hips.
Go ahead children, make this country great again!
LM Expressions 
Hi, Lekha! I agree totally with your essay. I am so proud and impressed by how the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have inspired and united to stand up to fight this.
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Thank you, Kathy. These students are something, aren’t they? They are down to earth and their arguments are so well thought out.
Well, they have blazed a trail and all we have to do is walk behind them.
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I remember arguing with my mother over the 2000 presidential election. I voted for Al Gore, and one of my deciding factors was how much money George W. Bush got from the NRA. She thought that was a silly reason.
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I wish many more had your foresight and looked into the candidates with a discerning eye.
NRA is not an altruistic organization. Their only goal is to sell weapons, and the only way to do that sow fear among gullible populace by exploiting social divisions. Guns are weapons and the gravity of that must be understood and regulated prudently.
Well, I hope at least this year, something would change, because it has become increasingly heartbreaking to read and hear about gun violence, especially in schools.
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