Guns have no place in schools

Mar 28, 2018 Spotlight News News, Schools

The March for Our Lives rally at the state Capitol (Photo by Ali Hibbs)

#MarchForOurLives #ParklandFlorida #ViolencePrevention #GunControl #KelseyWells #StudentVoices #LocalStudents #SpotlightNews #TheSpot518

By KELSEY WELLS
[email protected]

Right now, the U.S. is ranked 17th in the world in educational performance and over the years, our schools have gone through multiple changes in attempts to put us back on top. Changes made by people who haven’t been in school for decades, yet somehow think they know what’s best for our future.

But the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida has shown us that what hasn’t changed is the ability of our government to protect students from the one thing that has no place in schools — guns.

We have seen 18 school shootings since Jan. 1. Eighteen instances where innocent children have been openly fired on. Where is their justice and more importantly where is our change?

I’ll never know who decided that the right to own guns is more important than my right to an education but as students, we’re deciding that it’s not.

As a senior in high school, it’s encouraging to see so many victims of the Florida school shooting using social media platforms to speak their minds and work towards something that’s bigger than themselves.

And to me, it’s even better to see it happening on Twitter. The same social media site that adults like to argue is corrupting the youth is the thing that’s binding us together. If there’s one thing that we can take away from this tragedy, it’s that the future starts today. And it starts with us.

The brave students of Stoneman Douglas High School have taken this horrific event and they’ve lit a spark. One that is lighting fires in every student across America, including myself.

Listen up Congress, for we are here to ensure that the 17 people lost are never forgotten, and that the number of school shootings in 2018 stays at 18.

Kelsey Wells is a senior at Shaker High School