The gun debate has been a trending topic ever since the discussion was initiated by President Trump and a few members of Congress following Parkland’s mass shooting.

Since February 28th, when Trump met with Congress to discuss the topic, headlines spread across the news and media, arguing that this topic should be a more prominent issue in our country and it needs further evaluation.

Throughout 2018, America has expressed strong concern for gun control laws, hoping to prevent future gun violence within our school grounds. However, there has not been enough action and change put forth in order to decrease the amount of shootings that our schools are exposed to.

Earlier this year, in the month of January alone, over a dozen shootings on school grounds were reported, and they were followed by the Parkland massacre that took place on February 14th. With the rise of these tragic events, discussions within our White House have been initiated, but not acted upon.

Seemingly, students have been more active participants in the gun debate than the White House has been. As seen strongly across the schools in our nation, student advocates for gun control have recently participated in organized walkouts, honoring the lives lost at the hands of gunmen.

In the most recent national walkout on April 20th, students peacefully remembered 13 innocent deaths on the 19th Anniversary of the Columbine shooting. This has produced a movement within our youth, contributing to the idea that the gun debate is a movement.

Trump needs to prioritize gun control and he must provide solutions in order to decrease the accessibility of guns in our country. If Trump doesn’t act now, our schools will continue to face this recurring problem. A life is lost. A gunman is arrested. Our news sources cover the event. Afterwards? Nothing.

America runs on a repetitive cycle of shootings that result in fatalities, as well as a constant reminder of how easy it is for the public to purchase weaponry in our country.

Although the gun debate does consider and express concern for gun violence, it has not led to the establishment of any efforts to prevent this growing issue that we face in our country.

As a nation, we have created a movement, yet as a nation, we cannot proceed to enable the change needed for this cause. Moving forward, only Trump and congress have the ability to make the ultimate decision on how to put an end to America’s gun control crisis.