Utilizing My 1st Against The 2nd

Utilizing My 1st Against The 2nd

By: Dylan Armstrong

               On March 24, 2018, I made the decision to join roughly 800,000 protesters in Washington DC to speak out against the lack of gun-control in our nation. I made this decision because I, like many other Americans, are sick and tired of people being killed, because Congress refuses to pass comprehensive gun-control measures. Our elected officials would rather keep collecting their checks from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and offer “thoughts and prayers” than actually try to solve the issue.

               I am tired of the near-weekly mass shooting that seems to happen, and our elected officials continue to say that there is no solution yet the United States is the only country that has this problem of gun violence. I personally went out and marched for three distinct reasons. The first being I do not want to die at the hands of an individual who should not have a firearm, yet went to a gun show and was able to walk out with an AR-15, without receiving a background check. The second reason is that I am tired of having to listen to kids younger than I and victims' parents talk about their friends and families were taken too young. The third reason that I went out to march is because I believe that it is my job as a citizen that if I see seem that I do not like that I need to speak out against it. I needed to be out in the streets to show to my elected officials (I'm looking at you Congressman Dave Joyce and Senator Rob Portman) that I am sick of nothing happening. I am sick of thoughts and prayers. I am sick of hearing about high schools dying because our nation's elected officials refuse to do anything. Enough is enough. How many more innocent people need to die before as a nation we have decided we have had enough? I hope the answer to that question is now. I hope that in 2018, we as a nation, elected individuals that are willing to stand up to the NRA and pass comprehensive gun control laws.