Gun Reform in Limbo as 2018 Midterm Elections near

Parkland, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Orlando, Florida
Newtown, Connecticut
Virginia Tech
Columbine

These are only a few of the mass shootings to happen in the last twenty years. For many of us, we have become numb to these events. What all of them have in common is that guns were legally purchased by people who should not have had access to them.

Activists have tried to get gun reform legislation passed, only to have the National Rifle Association give money to politicians who support loose gun laws. This has to change. How many more deadly mass shootings will there be before the gun laws are changed nationwide? It is now up to this generation to make that happen.

After the Parkland, Florida shooting, some of the survivors launched the #NeverAgain movement. Led by Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, the movement spread across the country. Two walkouts and a nationwide march happened and there could be more events to come. This is all in an effort to get eligible voters to the polls and cast their ballots for politicians who refuse to take donations from the powerful NRA.

Florida and Vermont are the only states so far to make it harder for people to obtain guns.

For someone like myself, who has autism and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, I can go to a gun show and legally obtain an assault-style weapon without having to pass a background check. Even if I was to submit to a background check, I would still be able to obtain a deadly, high-powered weapon.

This should not be the case. The fact I have an underlying mental illness should immediately raise a red flag and prevent me from being able to purchase a gun. While I will never obtain a gun, I am only demonstrating how easy it is for a person to do this.

We need to reform our gun laws so assault-style weapons do not end up in the hands of civilians or someone who is deemed mentally unstable.

On April 20, 2017, exactly 19 years after Columbine, students walked out of class in order to call attention to gun violence. On March 14, 2018, one month after the Parkland shooting, students boldly walked out of class to demonstrate against mass shootings. On March 24, 2018, March For Our Lives rallied people across the country to tell politicians that enough is enough.

While I was not able to participate in the school walkouts, I did have the privilege of attending the Houston March For Our Lives event. In speaking with participants, I learned that even in my hometown, there are schools that have a problem with gun violence. Students told me they were marching in order to call attention to the increasing problem of mentally unstable people being able to obtain assault weapons. Teachers told me they were marching in order to call attention to the growing epidemic of gun violence. Even ordinary citizens marched because they were too fed up with a federal government ignoring a growing epidemic.

Students from many Houston area schools attended the rally. Even Mayor Sylvester Turner told the group that the city is the employee and the citizens are the employer. "When students lead demonstrations, things can change. We need to make America safe again." During his speech, Mayor Turner also announced his decision to form a commission to end gun violence in the city. "We need to fulfill our potential and protect our citizens. NOW IS THE TIME."