1606:
The number of times a gun has been discharged with intent to harm at a school since Sandy Hook in 2012. 18: The number of attempted school shootings that have occurred in 2018 as of February 14th. To most people, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is just another school on that list,. To me, it is a lot more than that.

To me, it has always been the high school that my best friend attends, a girl I met at my summer camp in 2011, who most people describe as bubbly and positive. She never failed to remind me, and anyone else she met, to see all of the good in the world. So while most people on February 14 enjoyed Valentine’s day with their loved ones, others watched the news about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

I, however, was thinking something very different. Instead, I waited for hours to receive a text from my best friend, and went as far to text her sister, her friends, and her boyfriend, to make sure the happy-go-lucky girl I knew was safe during a time that was anything but positive.

As I watched thousands of parents on the news, frantically looking for their children, I thought about how much a plane ticket would cost so I could join them. While my best friend got in contact with her friends to make sure they were okay, I did the same with mine, just not physically, but emotionally.

When I got the word that she was back with her friends and family, I expected to feel relieved, yet all I felt, and all I still feel, is guilt and fear. Guilty that I couldn’t be with her in case she needed protection. Fearful that she would never be the same. Guilty that I felt traumatized, when I did not experience any trauma. Fearful that something similar could happen to me at my school. Guilty that I made the shooting about me, when in fact it is quite the opposite; it is about all of us.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School did nothing wrong. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School followed exactly what they were told to do in the case of an emergency; shelter in place drills, evacuation drills, you name it, they did it. Most recently the blame has been placed on how we prepare for these situations.

The issue, however, is not based on the drills we practice or the methods used to handle the situation when it occurs, the issue is finding a way to prevent it before it becomes an issue in the first place.

It is not lack of preparation that led to 14 injuries, 17 deaths, and thousands traumatized. 1,606 attempted school shootings have occurred since Sandy Hook; 18 times a gun has been discharged with intent to harm since the start of 2018, 6,257 incidents in total involving guns have occurred since January 1, 2018.

One shooting, one man, one gun. It is time to stop avoiding the truth, and time to start accepting the facts. Our prayers are not enough: actions must be taken.