This year’s midterms had particularly high stakes with gun control legislation on the line, and by extension, the lives of students. Ever since the shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018, gun control has been heatedly debated and seems to be everywhere. This year, a historic amount of young people showed up to the polls to make their voices heard and fight for the change they want to see.

Annie Barrows, a sophomore at Columbine high school, talks about how Colorado has red-flag gun laws and a band on bumpstocks, and she says that “these are a great first step. However, there is a lot of work that needs to be done” to ultimately keep guns out of schools. Barrows has joined the infamous Students Demand Actions group, which was spawned out of the emotionally numbing Parkland shooting, and has participated in many rallies to make her voice heard.

Despite being only 15, Barrows proves that young people are no longer willing to take the backseat, but that they have taken matters into their own hands. She says that the best way for students to make ripples is to “[call] representatives, [join] groups like SDA, Never Again, and the Brady Campaign,” but the most important thing is to “stay informed.”

Ultimately, the solution to the gun violence epidemic is “so complex, the solution has to also then be as complex.” Since both sides of the gun control fight are so divided, the resolution will likely take lots of time to develop. But one thing is for sure- the young people won’t give up hope and won’t ever give up their fight for the change they want to see. “I believe that we must fight fearlessly until laws are passed and bills are signed because I am not going to stand idly and accept injustice.”