Dear America,

I am writing this letter to you because I’m done. I know this may come off as disrespectful or overly blunt, but being allusive and hinting towards my anger instead of being direct with it is pointless. It won’t solve anything and it definitely won’t make you change. It won’t stop the senseless violence that’s happening in our schools, in our churches, in grocery stores, or in our streets. Hinting that I am tired won’t reverse what happened in Uvalde, Buffalo or any of the other heinous acts that have happened all over the country and the world.

So, I’m no longer babying you, America. I’m tired. I’m tired of the anger, I’m tired of the fear, and I’m tired of the bloodshed that is becoming horrifyingly normal in this country. Is this to become our reality? Are parents worrying whether their children will make it to their fifth grade promotion, let alone their High School graduation, going to become normal? Are my friends not coming to school because they’re scared they might get shot going to become normal? Is there going to be a time where my teachers give me a complementary metal baseball bat instead of a pencil, and I won’t bat an eyelash because this is normal?

When will enough be enough? How many people-how many children-will have to die before you realize that this is just beyond politics? This is about more than just guns. This is about life and death. This is about the safety of children and the civilians who are affected by your lack of action. This is about life. About how the more you wait, the more people that are selfishly sacrificed. This is about me and the millions of other people who want this vicious cycle of horror to stop. This is about me and the millions of other students who want to go to school without wondering if their safe space will become a war-zone of fear and pain, that their school will become a name on the list of schools that have already succumbed to this violence.

 In the simplest of terms, I want things to change.

And I won’t stop until they are.

Sincerely,

Gabrielle Richardson