To end the cycle of American gun violence, join the chorus of voices who have had enough. Commit to voting out any politician who insists on treating this issue like a talking point, rather than the deadly epidemic that it is – one in urgent need of a bipartisan cure.
Congress has played hooky for too long from the politically charged issue of gun violence, so it is time for Americans to stand together and bring these politicians back to school.
The number of our fellow Americans we’ve lost in schools, theaters, churches, workplaces, concerts, homes and streets as a result of the gun violence epidemic has grown far too large for us to do anything otherwise.
In this great national classroom, Congress must be re-educated about that which is far more sacred than their political self-interest: American lives.
Young students are now the teachers for national leaders, teaching all adults an unforgettable lesson in courage.
Although many of them are barely old enough to drive a car, the students and survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are steadfastly driving a moral message that can no
longer be silenced.
If there is such a thing as a collective national conscience, then it has surely found the voice that it has been looking for in the form of the #NeverAgain movement that rose
up out of the shell-ridden classrooms and halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month.
As always, there will be people who will go to great lengths in hopes of burying a serious national discussion and movement on the issue. Online conspiracy theorists wasted little time
in making the outrageous claim that survivors of the tragedy were really “crisis actors” who were faking their ordeal to promote some anti-gun agenda.
Despite such desperate efforts to silence them, the voices for change are growing louder, not softer. We have already seen how the students’ voices have compelled officials such
as Florida Gov. Rick Scott to modify their staunch positions on the issue – moves that formerly may have been considered political suicide for many Republican politicians.
By vigorously exercising the amendment that precedes all others, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas are opening Americans’ eyes to a reality that is too easily forgotten in our polarized society.
They are reminding us that the real power of our nation lies neither in the White House nor on Capitol Hill, but rather in the hearts of everyday Americans – young and old, big and small. We the people are the teachers, and those in high office are our pupils. They take their direction from us, and they behave in accordance with the lessons we teach them.
The best expression of solidarity we can offer to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is to support them in their courageous journey to teach officials in high places that Americans will not have their voices ignored any longer.
If you believe in the change they are pushing for, then you too can help them “teach” both state and national officials about the massacre-free America we all wish to one day see, and more importantly, the massacre free America we all deserve.
For Southern California residents, one such opportunity will be taking place this month. Coinciding with the March for Our Lives event in Washington D.C., Los Angeles will host its own March for Our Lives at 10a. m. March 24 in Pershing Square.
Some students at campuses nationwide are also planning a 17-minute walkout from classes on March 14. While there are a variety of legitimate reasons why both students and teachers may not want to participate in this type of demonstration, Citrus College could still express solidarity by lowering the flag to half mast on March 14 and observe a moment of silence at 10 a.m. for all victims of gun violence.
With the 2018 midterm elections approaching, we will have yet an even greater opportunity to hold politicians accountable who refuse to act to curb gun violence. We will be able to exercise our right to vote such politicians out of office.
So, register to vote if you haven’t already, and help make sure no politician is let off the hook.
The polling place may well be the best place to speak up for survivors, victims, and families of gun violence and prove to leaders that we are serious when we say – #NeverAgain.
