OPINION: USF students want gun reform, not prayers
As early as fourth grade, I remember doing emergency drills in school in case a “bad guy” came into the classroom.
At the time, we were too young to be told the details, but some of us knew we would be doing these drills because of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
But little would they know, Sandy Hook wouldn’t be the last time my generation had to worry about gun violence in schools.
Related: USF increases police presence after FSU shooting
Still, I never would’ve imagined gun violence would be something that followed me into my college years. Just last week, six people were injured and two were killed at Florida State University after a gunman opened fire at the student union.
Issues of gun safety have emerged even at USF, with students being notified on Monday of an empty gun case found in the Fine Arts Building over the weekend.
And on Tuesday, University Police announced more gun supplies were found nearby.
These recent incidents hit close to home for me and many others, making it clear there is still so much change needed in terms of gun safety in the U.S.
The sad truth is America is far overdue for a solution to the gun violence crisis.
As a generation that has been at the forefront of dealing with gun safety in schools, we are tired.
We can only cry out for change so many times.
Since the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, more than 390,000 U.S. students have experienced gun violence in school, according to the Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to gun violence prevention.
Related: Empty gun cartridge found in USF parking lot: ‘It’s scary’
Gun violence has been and will continue to be an ongoing issue until something changes.
Until we impose stricter gun laws, kids in the U.S. will continue to hunker under the desks and learn to Run, Fight and Hide.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “thoughts and prayers” shared on X in response to the FSU shooting, are meaningless with actionable support for making real change.
These prayers mean nothing in a world where our calls to action go unheard. Some students have spoken out with FSU’s Student’s Demand Action, urging for better gun regulations at a Capitol press conference on Tuesday.
It feels like we are at a hopeless standstill. Our legislators are the ones with the power and authority to enact genuine change, but instead they are offering condolences instead of gun reform.
And I’m tired of hearing the same argument about having a constitutional right to bear arms. The Second Amendment shouldn’t outweigh the right of students to a safe learning environment.
It doesn’t help that Florida’s minimal gun laws seem to closely align with support for the Second Amendment.
Related: Empty gun case, empty ammo magazines found at USF Fine Arts Building
Take, for example, DeSantis’ gun rights advocacy. In 2023, he pushed to legalize carrying a concealed weapon in public without a government-issued permit.
DeSantis is also an advocate for House Bill 759, which aims to lower the minimum age to buy a gun back to 18. The current minimum age to buy a gun is 21 years old, a gun-safety measure implemented as part of the gun-reform laws following the Parkland shooting.
We don’t need better access to guns or more guns. We need more measures to ensure only safer gun practices, whether that be through stricter background checks or tighter carry laws.
Imagine the change that we could set forth if we started prioritizing the collective mental wellbeing of America’s youth before one’s constitutional right to own a gun.
We are out of wake-up calls.
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