Alyssa Alhadeff, 14. Scott Beigel, 35. Martin Anguiano, 14. Nicholas Dworet, 17. Aaron Feis, 37. Jaime Guttenberg, 14. Chris Hixon, 49. Luke Hoyer, 15. Cara Loughran, 14. Gina Montalto, 14. Joaquin Oliver, 17. Alaina Petty, 14. Meadow Pollack, 18. Helena Ramsay, 17. Alex Schachter, 14. Carmen Schentrup, 16. Peter Wang, 15.

Seventeen innocent lives were lost to yet another preventable massacre.

As a nation, we felt our hearts sink when we learned of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Shooting in Parkland, Florida. As a nation, we grieve for the lives lost and the loved ones they left behind. 

As a nation, we must take action. We must hold our representatives accountable. We must be advocates, campaigners and champions of change. Most of all, we must use our political voices to demand action.

Nothing will change unless we, as a  rising generation of voters, call on our representatives to take direct action in response to the Florida school shooting. In  order to achieve real policy, we must utilize our civic oppurtunities to their fullest extent. 

The 2018 midterm elections are approaching in Novemeber. Therefore, there is ample time to do research on the senators that currently hold the seats in your state.  

The midterm elections are extremely important because it gives citizens the oppurtunity to restructure  the Senate by taking seats from the political party with the majority vote. Also, the results of the elections serve as a reflection of the nation’s opinion on the effectiveness of republicans and democrats. 

This midterm election is especially salient because it reflects a political opportunity to create massive change. The results of the election also serve as an index of the nation’s percieved effectiveness of the President.

However, the midterm election is months away.There are immediate and effective strategies to put pressure on your representatives to take action in reponse to the Florida school shooting. 

Call your Senator. Directly state the policy change you would like to see. Tell them how you plan on voting in the upcoming election. Your Senator should be accountable to what you believe and how you expect them to represent you. 

Support political action organizations. Join a grassroots campaign or visit change.org to learn more about existing organizations lobbying Senators and Congressman. 

Stay informed. Use your passion to educate yourself about the issue. Research the platforms of senators running in the 2018 midterm election. Know your represenative’s stance on gun violence. 

As a nation, we share a common goal. We all want gun violence to be reduced. We do not want another senseless massacre of our fellow citizens. We should share the belief that our representatives be held accountable to reach a bipartisan agreement to prevent future tragedies.