I understand that everyone has the freedom to express themselves and stand up for what they believe. I support all rights given to America through the amendments and applaud those who are willing to stand up for their rights.

Although I do support and am impressed with the people standing up for their beliefs, I feel that the gun control controversy has become overbearing. I feel that the protest and controversy about stricter gun laws has become too much to handle.

In order to create a successful protest, you need attention from citizens, politicians, and media. I feel like the amount of attention from the protest can be less consuming of the media, while still being effective.

We see and hear about the protests in countless numbers of news stories, in tweets, pictures, and videos posted to social media, on our televisions, and hear about it in our school. Not a day goes by were the controversy is not seen somewhere or talked about.

The goal of the protest is too create a safer environment, for some it is not just about feeling safe in school, but feeling safe anywhere. How can people feel safe with the constant reminder of tragic events? It is necessary to understand the situation and reality of issues. It is necessary to understand how schools really aren’t as safe as they once were. It is not necessary though to dig up the pain of it all and remind everyone daily.

Life has struggles and tough times, but there comes a point when people need to move on. With the controversy, fighting, and news, moving on seems completely impossible.

We will never achieve anything with constant strain and fighting. I understand that victims of gun violence and those who have experienced it have been through a lot. They should not be silenced, but the controversy should be contained. Until we reunite as a country and find a common ground, children will still be reminded how scared they should feel in their schools. All everyone wants is ensured safety. Let’s stop the drilling of tragedy into young kid’s heads and instead find ways to come together as a community to compromise better solutions then a nationwide controversy.

Practice kindness. When you see kids alone, befriend them. Stand up for those getting bullied. It will not guarantee a solution for the violence, but it will inspire unity. Arguing will not get us a solution, but unity will.