A single day can have a profound impact on the lives of parents, teachers, and students. Such is the case for February 14 of this year, where 17 lives were taken during a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Florida. According to USA Today, this school is now known for being the “site of one the deadliest school shootings in modern American history.”

Four days after the tragic incident, an American student-led gun control organization called Never Again MSD formed. The organization advocates for tighter regulations to prevent gun violence and is most known for its hashtag, #NeverAgain. The group’s motive is a movement “for survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting, by survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting.” They intend to enforce stricter background checks for people who show interest in legally owning guns.

Never Again has three focal demands. One of the top priorities on its list is to pass a law to stop usage of “military-style” weapons. The notorious example being the AR-15, which has been used in multitude mass shootings such as those in Newtown, Connecticut; San Bernardino, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and now Parkland, Florida. Another request is the cancellation of sales of high-capacity magazines, which enables gun holders to hold more than the standard number of rounds. The last request is to make it impossible to escape America’s background checks. Library Media Specialist Maureen Bertolini expresses that she is “hopeful that this generation will make real the legislative changes that we need.”

The organization reached individuals nationwide to protest on Mar. 24 in Washington
D.C.. The event, titled “March of Our Lives,” had 800 related events throughout the  U United States and many more around the world. Freshman Anthony Campos expressed his sorrow as he said, “This event is heartbreaking, and I hope that President Trump listens to the words of the people and makes a smart decision.” During this event, teens
explained that this was not an accident. They had this event to demonstrate what they believe in and how it affected so many people, despite the fact they were not there. These marches helped commemorate the ones who lost their lives in mass shootings. Freshman Maggie Bodian believes “disasters like these should never be experienced” and thinks Never Again has great methods and beliefs that we should listen to.” In the world today, the arguments on gun control are still heavily debated. Never Again is striving to make a difference by marches, social media campaigns, and more. The result of their actions taken on this controversial topic has led to controversy. Despite doubters of the movement, Never Again is persistent in its demands and shows no signs of letting up. Never Again is frustrated by what it deems as outdated laws being above lives.