In the wake of last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — in which seventeen people were needlessly murdered — high school and college students across the country have taken up common cause activism with aims of addressing gun control. Here at Hamilton, many clubs and organizations, following the lead of the Black and Latinx Student Union (BLSU), organized a protest and remembrance event on Feb. 19 that encouraged all community members to wear black in solidarity with the victims of the shooting and the survivors who have spoken out in its wake. While approaches to ending this scourge differ profoundly, addressing senseless violence appears to be a bipartisan common cause of sorts, as evidenced by the fact that, at the prodding of BLSU, both the College Democrats and Republicans sent out the email reminding their respective members to wear black for Monday’s protest.

BLSU, following up on its online activism, has also organized a rally, which will take place on Friday, Feb. 23 from 4:30–6:30 PM and is open to the community and aims to address the shooting and potential steps for gun reform. As we as a community and country continue to grapple with another senseless act of violence in the form of a mass shooting (the 34th of the 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive), there is no question that change is necessary. How, when, and where that change will take place remains to be seen, and while proposed policies will differ across the political spectrum, it is apparent that this change can, should, and will be driven by the younger generations of America. The Spectator stands in solidarity with BLSU and all other organizations and individuals that seek to address the epidemic of gun violence in the country.