Concerns about safety in schools due to gun violence has sparked protests across the nation.

No student should be scared to come to school, as it should be a safe place. The 18 gun-related incidents in schools across the nation, in the short period of 2018, has had students questioning their safety in school and has sparked a passionate want for gun control. Schools nationwide have orchestrated “walkouts” to take place during school for protesting in favor of stricter gun laws.

These walkouts were sparked by the Parkland, Florida shooting where the shooter killed 17 people and injured dozens. Videos taken by students on the scenes-some showing dead bodies and sounds of gunshots-hit home for students and other citizens across the nation. Many users on social media believed this was the last straw and something needs to be done. This idea inspired the “Never Again” movement that motivated students to use their voice in favor of gun control.

Protests have taken place in states like Texas, Washington, California, and Florida over the course of the past week. Many students, like the Parkland shooting survivors, took an initiative to travel to their capital to give lawmakers a piece of their mind. Students in Maryland traveled to the White House and protested outside, holding signs and chanting “Thoughts and prayers are not enough.”

While many schools were supportive of student voice, some weren’t so in favor. Texas’ Needville High School superintendent issued a warning explaining that whoever participates in a walkout will be suspended for three days. “We will discipline no matter if it is one, fifty, or five hundred students involved,” said Superintendent Chris Rhodes.

Walkouts for gun control have students in our own town’s support. “I think walkouts let our government and local officials hear our voice and know that we have an opinion on something that affects us as students,” said sophomore Chelsie Clark. “I would be all for organizing a local walkout considering so many of my peers are concerned with our safety and would want their voice to be heard,” said Clark. Clark, along with many across the nation, is proud to see young people speaking their minds.