It is no secret that the United States has a gun violence issue. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 14,000 gun violence (as of April 4th, 2018) incidents since the start of 2018, which has led to the death of 815 of America’s youth. Amid the violence, the question arises, should adults listen to teenagers’ views on gun violence in America? Teenagers’ views on gun violence should be listened to because they have experience, are passionate about change, and they are fighting for everyone nationwide. Whenever teenagers attempt to voice their opinions on gun violence in America, they are ignored. I know this because I am one of them. I am a teenager living in a nation of gun violence and my voice has been silenced because …show more content…
The shooting sparked youth revolutions including “March for our Lives” and the “Never Again” movement. However, the movements have not been able to make significant progress as many adults do not take the teenagers seriously. One claim is that teenagers do not have enough knowledge on gun violence to have an educated opinion. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, knowledge is defined as “the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience”. The teenagers of Parkland High School have experience with gun violence. This means that the students understand how gun violence can permanently alter a community. “[Teenagers are] young enough to be victimized by a school shooting, but old enough to shape the aftermath,” says TIME author Charlotte Alter in her “The School Shooting Generation has had Enough” article. The Parkland students are not the only teenagers in America who have been affected by gun violence. According to the Washington Post, more than 187,000 students have been exposed to gun violence since the Columbine Shooting in 1999. This means roughly 10,000 students have been affected by guns annually... for 19 years. Teenagers are trying to stop the violence. But nobody will listen. Teenagers have seen gun violence first hand, the teenagers of America are knowledgeable on gun