In April 1996, Australia had a mass shooting in which one man killed 35 people with a semi-automatic weapon. Following this shooting, the country and its states implemented strict gun control legislation, including a ban on rapid-fire guns. According to a 2016 study by the University of Sydney, 13 fatal mass shootings occurred from 1979-1996. After gun control legislation was put in place, no fatal mass shootings occurred from 1997 through May 2016 in Australia.
In the past 5 months, the U.S. has seen 3 of its deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, so why have we not seen change? We, as a nation, are at the point where the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and students across the country feel it is their responsibility to handle gun control because the people in charge of our country refuse to do anything more than offer their thoughts and prayers. How many more deaths will it take until we see legitimate change?
Under current legislation, people can legally buy assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons, such as the commonly used AR-15 that can fire up to 45 rounds in one minute. This weapon is the same weapon used at the Sandy Hook shooting, the Pulse nightclub shooting, the Las Vegas massacre and the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
One year ago, President Trump signed a bill revoking an Obama-era regulation that made it much more difficult for people with mental illnesses to purchase guns. Consequently, background checks are even looser and more insufficient than they previously were, allowing many unqualified people to legally purchase weapons. Such an action poses an important question: Why are politicians constantly protecting the NRA and money over the lives and safety of our people?
Gun control is no longer about the 2nd Amendment. It is not about the Republicans and the Democrats. It is not about mental health. It is about the students who will never forget piling into closets and being shielded from gunshots by their teachers and friends. It is about the people whose children, parents, siblings and friends were murdered in a matter of seconds, whether at a nightclub, a concert, a movie theatre or just at school. It is about protecting our people, and until Americans see gun control legislation put in place, we will not feel truly protected by our government.
Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, gave a breathtaking speech at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale just days after the shooting. “We know that they are claiming mental health issues, and I am not a psychologist, but we need to pay attention to the fact that this was not just a mental health issue. He would not have harmed that many students with a knife!” shouted Gonzalez.
“Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA telling us nothing could have been done to prevent this, we call BS. They say tougher gun laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS,” said Gonzalez. “They say no laws could have prevented the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred. We call BS.”
Enough is enough.
	It is time for politicians to value the lives of our people over the money that runs their campaigns.
	It is time to stop offering only thoughts and prayers and start implementing policy and change.