On Feb. 14, at around 2:19 pm; Nikolas Cruz entered Majory Stoneman Douglas High School carrying nothing but a backpack and a duffel bag. Only minutes later, Cruz pulled a fire alarm, sending the school into disarray. And only seconds after that, he removed an AR-15 semi- automatic rifle from of his duffel bag. Then, he opened fire.

The shooting ended almost as abruptly as it began, lasting only six minutes. Yet, he left in his wake 17 people dead and another 17 wounded. 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz is responsible for the world’s deadliest school shooting.

This incident, in addition to many like it in past months, and years, is what sparked the series of student led walkouts these past few months. The first took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a location very close to Stoneman Douglas High school, only three days after the shooting. This spark soon grew into a fire, as the walkouts and protests began to spread out of southeast Florida and to the rest of the country.

Students all over the United States put their foot down against gun violence and demanded stricter gun control. These protests would culminate on two separate days. The “Enough! National School walkout,” which brought together students from more than 3,000 schools across the US to walkout on March 14 and on April 20, March for Our Lives, held in Washington, DC with more than 800 partnering marches taking place the same day throughout the United States, and even the world.

As a result, massive waves have been made across the country. The question asked by many critics is: Is this a good thing? Gun control is a very complex subject, and one that has been debated over for years by some of the most informed and influential people of the United States government. In no way can anyone expect a high school student to know everything about gun control laws, so how can we let our political opinions be swayed so heavily by someone who doesn’t?

I only bring this question up because it’s the words of students that have brought people together in these walkouts and protests. And it’s good that people are able to take action for something they believe in, but at the same time, one must realize that very often the public opinion is fickle. They are swayed by emotions more often than facts, and when influenced more by the latter, it is often due to harsh exaggeration.

The truth is that it becomes hard to argue an opinion when the opposing side is made of people who have lost family and friends to the issue. The truth is that no change in law or legislation led to the Parkland shooting.

The state of gun violence is unchanged and a march on Washington happening two weeks before Feb. 14 would have the same amount of backing and justification as one that happened on Feb. 17.

Events like these don’t reveal new problems. They simply serve as ways to make people realize the problems that have already existed. Yet, the problem is when people become aware and open their eyes, they can still only seem to find half the picture. Those who have taken up the political flag against gun violence have not bothered to look to the other side of the crowd to see exactly what they’re arguing against.

That saddest truth, however, is that there are likely those who are using these students for political gain. Both sides are guilty of this, whether it be using them as vehicles of political gain, or targeting them for their immaturity. In the process of standing up for themselves, these students have marched right in the middle of an intense debate that they perhaps never wanted to be in.

At their heart, these student walkouts are not an attack on right wing politics, nor are they conspiracies by the left. I believe their intentions are genuine. I also believe that student involvement in political action is something to be applauded. Today’s society is too filled with apathetic and disinterested people.

However, simply being involved does not make them right. Gun control is a difficult and complicated issue that doesn’t lend itself to easy solutions. We need to come up with real, practical solutions, not just subscribe to the loudest viewpoint. Though the Parkland shooting was a terrible tragedy, and I hope it will never be repeated, this is not a single sided issue. There are legitimate arguments that need to be recognized. This is an issue that should be resolved by debate in the halls of Congress, not by uninformed people impassioned by tragedy. It is important that we as citizens are not only active in political action, but also informed about those actions.