My name is Tess, I’m 18 years old and if I get killed tomorrow I want my little sister to know that I’m doing this for her.

No person should have to consider this. Especially kids. But unfortunately, this is the reality that we have to live with every day. We go to school in fear, and these fears are real.

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shooting, my high school was business as usual. I went to class, I listened to lectures, I took notes. But I didn’t learn. I haven’t done any learning since 17 students were brutally shot dead. School has continued for the majority as if we are expected to show up to school without fearing for our lives.

But how can I learn when all I can focus on in class is where I’ll go if a shooter comes into the building? Or how fast I can get to my sister if her elementary school is attacked. I’ve decided it’s three minutes if I’m parked in front of the school and obey no traffic laws.

The list of school shootings in America is larger than any other country. This violence directly corresponds to our lack of gun control.

Read the rest of the story here at ColumbusNavigator.com

Originally published on March 12, 2018