Students all over the U.S. are participating in walkouts in light of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The walkouts are being held to protest for adequate gun control and to stand in solidarity with those affected by the ordeal. Because of our country’s lax requirements for civilians owning guns, mass shootings are occurring at an alarming rate. Students organizing these protests ultimately have a right to be outraged at this trend and to demand a change.

As of right now, two walkouts are set for this year; one on March 14th and another on April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

After having watched their friends, classmates and teachers being taken from them in an instant, survivors of the Parkland shooting used their grief to speak out about not being adequately protected by their country. Their headstrong attitudes are a much needed driving force for future reform when it comes to gun laws in America.

18 school shootings have taken place only two months into the year, amounting to an average of about three shootings per week. Because of this, it is no wonder that students feel the need to speak out and express their concerns with gun laws.

A survivor of the incident, 18-year-old Emma Gonzalez, has declared that Parkland will be the last school shooting to ever occur, and her counterparts are promoting this idea with the hashtag #NeverAgain. As minors who are still not able to exercise their right to vote, these students’ activism is one of the only ways that they can show politicians that enough is enough.

People write off these survivors because most of them are under 18 years old. Some are accusing them of being crisis actors, while others are sending them death threats. Though they are not of age to vote, these kids are using the national spotlight that has been shown on them to promote a change in the conversation about gun violence. Therefore, their activism should be honored.

I believe the movement they have ignited speaks to these students’ character more than it does their age. Since the shooting, they have been incredibly active on social media and in the streets protesting the injustices and heartache they faced only a little over a week ago. The sheer resilience these kids are exhibiting in light of such a traumatizing ordeal is inspiring definitely something to take note of.

Students are being self-starters by organizing these protests. They are single-handedly starting a movement by igniting #NeverAgain. Their activism is incredibly motivating to many and it is sparking a much needed conversation on gun violence among all American citizens.

Survivors are breaking barriers in order to demand protection from the government who let them down. Because of this, these children should ultimately be celebrated for their efforts instead of attacked.