Stoneman Douglas students make a real impact

Staff, [email protected]

Two weeks after 17 teachers and students were murdered at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, class is back in session.

Since the shooting, the survivors have advocated not only for stricter gun laws, but for the removal of elected officials being bought by the National Rifle Association. Despite facing widespread opposition from President Trump’s paranoid, Second Amendment obsessed lackeys and various other conservatives nationwide, their voices have brought a significant change so far. These aren’t just small changes, either. In the last two weeks, various big name corporations have officially cut ties with the NRA, including United and Delta Airlines, rental car companies like Avis, Rent-a-car and Hertz, MetLife, hearing aid company Starkey and medicine manufacturer Paramount Rx.

Also, as of this week, two of the largest gun sellers in the United States, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Wal-Mart, have made it illegal for people under 21 to buy guns at their stores. Dick’s specifically is no longer selling military-style assault rifles.

Naturally, the gun nuts are shaken. In response to these changes, a wave of conspiracy theories about the Stoneman Douglas kids have flooded social media. They are being accused of being actors and conservatives are rifling through every anti-gun social media post to find mistakes to gripe about. They don’t realize how ridiculous it is for people this old to be attacking children.

According to USA Today, Oregon legislature “banned people convicted of stalking and domestic violence or under restraining orders from buying or owning firearms and ammunition.” Stoneman Douglas Student Activist Emma Gonzalez applauded the bill, but acknowledged that this was only the beginning. This is true for all of the changes enacted so far.

There’s still work to be done, and we can’t just sit back and let children do everything. At the end of the day, it’s up to generations X through Z to use our voices however we can. At the very least, we could be educating the uninitiated on the things that matter to us.

Us millennials will continue being allies and fighting injustices alongside Generation Z activists. We may not know how long it will take or how far we have to go to get the change we want to see, but we do know the next generation is a persistent one. We all want to believe in something, so we’re choosing to believe in the youth of this country.