To the editor:

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Two months ago, the dust settled on yet another tragedy, and the world looked to America for a response. They saw bodies strewn across the streets in communities nationwide but no action from the government. They saw legislators and assault weapons bought and sold with the NRA pulling the strings. We as students rose up to offer an alternative vista. We stepped up and demanded change from people who attempted to silence us. We set a precedent, we foreshadowed the incredible social strides that will be made with us at the forefront.

In no world of reason and tranquility should students be responsible for the lives of their peers. Not once should it fall upon the youth of this nation to rise up and demand protection from elected officials. However, that is exactly the peril these leaders have let us descend into, and after thousands of gun deaths, we the students are now the ones forcing an end to this slaughter.   Over the past two months, we have been told that our protests would make no difference, that no one would pay us any mind, yet in this short time we found a bill to focus our efforts around, we protested and lobbied tirelessly, overcoming hurdles of bureaucracy and refusing to fall victim to the complacency of certain lawmakers. We found allies in the Statehouse and across the Commonwealth. Together we saved gun control legislation that had been stalled and ignored for over a year, and here we stand. In the waning moments before the April 15th reporting deadline, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security has unanimously voted to move the Extreme Risk Protective Orders (House Bill 3610) out of committee and on to the next stage toward enactment.

Across Massachusetts students called on their representatives to pass the ERPO to allow household members to report persons in possession of firearms that are an imminent danger to themselves or others. Across Massachusetts students like us have been staging walkouts, sit-ins, phone banks, and Statehouse visits to fight for common sense gun control policies that will save lives like ours, and yours. We know that this is not a new fight; it did not start with Parkland and will not end with it either. Gun violence intersects with a wide range of social issues in our nation, with firearms disproportionately terrorizing communities of color. These issues manifest in contexts such as the racially motivated murders at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina to the police killing people of color in the streets of our cities and towns.

Even though we have reached our first significant milestone, the fight for our generation does not end here. We will not cease in our advocacy until this bill is passed and stricter gun regulation is enacted nationwide. Massachusetts must not be content to hide behind our past achievements. The strength and poise shown by the Parkland students led the way for youth like us across the country to stand up and finally say enough is enough. College students have been at the forefront of many movements for social change, but this time it has fallen to high school students. We cannot vote, yet here we are on the verge of passing major gun control legislation.

Amalia Hochman

Somerville High School

Students Against Gun Violence

March For Our Lives Boston