On April 20, 1999 the unheard of happened. In Littleton, Colorado, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, walked into Columbine High School and began shooting the students. When the attack ended, 13 were dead and more than 20 were injured.
America hoped that we would never see such a tragedy happen again in America. The 90 percent of Americans who do not own guns asked congress to strengthen our gun laws. Because of the NRA gun lobby, which donates heavily to Republicans, nothing happened.
On December 14, 2012, the unthinkable happened. A lone gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. His murderous attack took the lives of 20 very young children and six educators.
This was too much. Americans no longer felt safe sending their babies to school. This time the American people did not ask for stronger gun laws, including the ban of military assault rifles, high-output magazines, and comprehensive background checks on all gun purchases, they demanded it. Republicans did nothing; again.
On Valentines day, this year, another lone gunman, armed with an assault rifle marched into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, and slaughtered 17 students and educators while wounding dozens more.
Once again the vast majority of our nation’s people demanded changes, and once again Republicans ignored them. But this time they made a huge mistake. The old men and women in Washington underestimated our younger citizens; citizens who will be able to vote this year if they are seniors in high school, but nearly all of the students who survived this latest attack will be able to vote in 2020. These courageous young men and women protested loudly, and they were joined by millions of others around the world.
On March 24 of this year they organized the ‘March for our Lives’ in Washington D.C. Protesters filled the streets as students and celebrities spoke passionately and intelligently to the huge crowd. Still nothing is being done in our nation’s Capitol.
If they thought that these protests would simply ‘blow over,’ they were very wrong. On Friday, students walked out of the classroom to remind them that they have lived their entire life after the massacre at Columbine in fear of a shooter. Our next generation of voters has a right to feel safe while attending elementary school, middle school, high school, and college.
The NRA has become the target of millions of young Americans across our nation. They have given fair warning to Republicans that if they take money from the NRA, they will not have their vote or the vote of their parents, and older brothers of sisters. The NRA is a criminal organization. They are no longer a ‘gun safety organization,’ they are nothing more than agents for gun manufacturers and gun sellers.
Remember our young Americans when you go to the polls on November 6th. They are our future. The old white men in Washington are the past.
Op-ed by James Turnage
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