On Valentine’s Day, a shooter opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people. Among them were teachers, faculty members, and students. People employed by this high school lost their lives protecting the students, and too many students won’t make it to graduation.

The shooter was known to be unstable. He was known to have an obsession with guns. It was known that he was dangerous. He’d previously made threats to harm other students.

And he was able to legally purchase the assault rifle he used to kill 17 people.

There have been at least 170 school shootings since the Columbine school shooting in 1999. 170 shootings at places of education in the last 19 years.

Thoughts and prayers don’t change anything. You can grieve for the loss these families are facing right now, but you are showing no real remorse for what has happened if you do not support gun control.

If you still believe that we don’t need more regulations on our firearms, then your thoughts and prayers mean nothing.

President Trump repealed an Obama-era measure that would’ve made it harder for those with mental illnesses to purchase firearms. Then he tweets about how people should’ve reported that he was unstable — thought reporting it wouldn’t have prevented him from being the threat to people he was.

The survivors of the Florida shooting are speaking out against the lack of legislation put in place by our Congress. They’re calling for change so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else — because this shouldn’t be happening to anyone else. There is a nation-wide school walkout planned for March 24, calling for action from our government.

Giving teachers guns is not going to fix anything. Making it harder to get guns is what we need.

We’re not asking to take away all of your guns — your right to own a gun is not at risk. You don’t need a semi-automatic rifle to go hunting. You don’t need multiple rounds of ammo in your house to protect yourself from potential intruders. And if you’re really dedicated to guns, you’ll take the time to go through the proper training, paperwork, and background checks necessary to obtain a gun.

We’re asking to keep our family and friends safe. We’re asking that children not be afraid of being shot when they go to school. We’re asking for these measures so there don’t need to be mass shooter drills in school districts — school should be a place of safety. Not a place where children should be scared.

Call your senators. Call your representatives. Go to rallies. Speak up. It’s time to make a change.