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Smart Enough to See the Problem

My name is Lauren and I am going to speak my opinion about a problem that everyone knows about. On March 24, I went to a gun violence march, and it was incredible. About 2,300 people went and showed their support.

I am 14 years old, and should not walk into school worrying that the person behind me might have a gun. I should walk into school worrying about my next history or math test, not guns! My elementary school, Essex Elementary, used to have a very welcoming entrance, but now, there is a wall with a two-inch bulletproof window. I now feel shut out. The fact that a school even needs glass like that is sad.

I don’t want to worry that my sister might not come home one day, because of a shooting at her school. Why can’t school be safe? What have kids done to deserve this fear? What is so wrong that we have to be killed? I should not even be thinking about guns. My friends and family are my life, and the fact that I think about them possibly dying because of this is awful.

We may not be as smart as most adults, but we are smart enough to see the problem here. We can and will take action. We are done with fear and won’t let it control us. Our hearts are as strong as any adult. We need to talk about this issue and raise awareness, otherwise nothing will change. We need to listen, and be listened to, or we cannot solve this problem. Students everywhere are already taking action and making a difference on this issue. We need our voices to be heard, because we are done with all the nonsense and we will not stand for it.

Lauren McAloon

Ivoryton