Valentine’s day is supposed to be a day filled with love, happiness, friendship, and giving. It should be a day to love harder, be kinder, and spread happiness. Unfortunately, in the town of Parkland, Florida, tragedy struck on February 14, 2018. At around 2:20 in the afternoon, a 19-year-old former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School named Nikolas Cruz, entered the freshman building, and opened fire inside using a .223-caliber AR-15. Cruz killed 17 students and teachers.

Cruz was previously expelled from Stoneman Douglas due to disciplinary actions that have not been explained. He was known as a threat to the school and was not permitted to be on campus with a backpack. Students that have been interviewed post-tragedy have said that he has been terrifying since middle school.

Authorities have also discovered that the murderer has posted disturbing photos to Instagram of guns and other deadly weapons, as well as videos and photos of dead animals that he has murdered. Everybody that went to Stoneman Douglas knew that he was a kid with a mental illness that couldn’t be trusted. There have been over nineteen calls made by residents of Parkland regarding the actions of Cruz.

There have been 8 school shootings so far in 2018. That is 8 too many. The brave survivors of the Parkland shooting are working incredibly hard to make sure this is the last straw. One student, Emma Gonzalez has been speaking out about this incident from the moment it happened. Emma wrote a speech that she recited to a huge crowd of people days after the shooting. She is a firm believer that a 19-year-old with a mental illness – nor any 19-year-old should ever be able to walk into a gun shop and legally purchase a military assault weapon.

The thousands of survivors from Stoneman Douglas High School are making a change in the world. They are speaking up for those who have tragically died in school shootings. Together, they started a campaign and hashtag called #NeverAgain. The #NeverAgain movement speaks for itself. These traumatized students don’t want anyone to go through what they went through, and they won’t let another horrifying incident happen ever again. On March 24, they will be attending a march in Washington to stand up for what they believe in.

The students from Stoneman Douglas are so strong and I truly believe they will make a change. They already have, but they will continue to make an impact on this country’s gun control laws.