A right to live

I am a high school student and belong to one of the youngest generations to see the gun violence epidemic unfold. I belong to the generation that goes home after school to read the news of another mass shooting. Another set of lives lost, and another reason to fear. I belong to the generation that has lockdown drill after lockdown drill and is forced to plan out their every move in the case of a school shooting.

My message to lawmakers is this: Yes, the Constitution does give a right to bear arms. However, it also gives us the right to live, and a right to live without fear. At the moment, this country is turning into one of fear and hatred, not one of love and compassion. I refuse to live in the America where children die in schools, where food festivals are a risk, and where the individuals in charge of solving the problem live in ignorance. By strengthening background and psychological checks, beginning discussions on mental health and violent video games, and banning military style weapons, you will be saving lives.

In my 14 years alive, I have seen children slaughtered in Newton, hate crimes committed in Orlando and California, shootings 20 miles away from my home and leaders who prefer to take funds from the NRA than protect the well being of America's citizens. As we grieve the tragedies that will haunt El Paso and Dayton to come, we have to remember to fight for every heartbeat and remember every name of those whose last moment was spent looking into the ugly barrel of a gun. No more lives can be lost due to gun violence.

Tazia Machl

Cary