Thirty-two died at Virginia Tech. Twenty-seven at Sandy Hook. Seventeen at University of Texas. After all of these school massacres, families of the victims and democratic lawmakers called tirelessly for stricter gun control.

After fourteen students and three staff members were murdered at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, today’s teenagers have essentially waged a war on the National Rifle Association and the politicians who submit to them. A group of fifteen or so students from Douglas are spearheading the #neveragain movement from the living room of a survivor. The question that still circulates is, simply, why do these teenagers believe that they have the power to change laws that have been disputed for decades?

They already have. In Florida, one of the most Republican and NRA-led states in the country, they convinced the governor to make the buying age 21 and enact a waiting period to buy firearms. It was the first time in over twenty years that Florida defied the NRA. Thirteen businesses have cut professional ties with the NRA, and lawmakers have been forced out of silence and onto town hall stages and torn apart by the public. It is a firestorm of progress, and it is not slowing down.

It is jarring to hear people my age referred to as the “mass shooting generation”. As activist and survivor Alex Wind said, “We are the generation that’s had to be trapped in closets, waiting for police to come or waiting for a shooter to walk in the door. We are the people who know what it’s like first hand.”

Disturbingly enough, he’s right. We sit through lockdown drills, huddled in the corner of the room while we gather heavy things to throw at the imaginary intruder. As America seems to become more and more desensitized to senseless violence, children and adolescents are saying that enough is enough. They have proven in a mere month that they have an incredible amount of power.

Of course, this is not a new fight. Parents of students at Sandy Hook, Columbine, and other massacres have devoted their lives to fighting gun violence. Gun control has been in the public eye for decades. Lackluster gun reform laws have been brought to the table time and time again. Tragedy after tragedy occurred. But the aftermath of Parkland has proven to be vastly more persistent and progressive than ever before. This is largely due to these student’s understanding of the problem in a way that adults never could fathom. Elementary kids are given prizes for staying silent during active shooter drills, class time is overshadowed by planning escape routes. While the concern of school safety may have been around in our parents’ day, they did not experience fear the way that the students of today do.

With this in mind, this generation will be the ones to change gun laws and the conversation about school safety. They have captivated the attention of the people and the politicians, and their largest challenge is continuing to stay relevant. With the persistence and momentum that they have amassed thus far, Parkland kids and their allies will bring about gun legislation.

Photo Courtesy of The New Yorker