Who is Emma Gonzalez? She is a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Today she spoke at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale. She spoke for most Americans of voting age, but more importantly she spoke for her generation which will be voting in a very short period of time. Ms. Gonzalez voiced the opinions of school children across America who are fed up with going to school and being afraid of never going home at the end of the day.

Here are some of her comments as she spoke to the crowd.

“I read something very powerful to me today. It was from the point of view from a teacher. And I quote. ‘When adults tell me that I have the right to own a gun, all I can hear is my right to own a gun outweighs your student’s right to live. All I hear is mine, mine, mine.’”

Think about it. Ten percent of Americans own 90 percent of the guns. All Americans have the right feel safe living their lives. We should never be afraid to send our children to school, or go to church. Creating an atmosphere of fear has been the right wing’s goal since 9/11. But this is taking it too far, even for them.

“If the President wants to come up to me and tell me to my face that it was a terrible tragedy and how it should never have happened and maintain telling us how nothing is going to be done about it, I’m going to happily ask him how much money he received from the National Rifle Association.”

If Ms. Gonzalez sounds angry, you are right; and she should be. There is no reason why it’s easier to buy a gun than to make dinner reservations at a popular restaurant. Our nation has a problem, and the media will never admit that it exists.

White terrorism is a greater danger to the American people than any other entity. There are more mass shootings in the United States than days on the calendar. Do we have a right to demand more from those we elect? Not only is the answer ‘yes,’ if they refuse to serve us, we can vote them out of office in November. The slaughter of innocent men, women, and children must end.

The murders in Florida may have been the final straw for the people of our nation. When a 19-year-old can legally purchase a military weapon designed to kill other human beings, but cannot legally buy a handgun; something is terribly wrong with our government, our laws, and our nation.

If we vote in November, the United States of America can be ours once again. Our government must no longer be allowed to rule over us. We elect them to serve us, and if they do not, tell them “you are fired.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

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