By Anonymous
My story today isn’t AAPI oriented, but youth oriented. For context, I live in south west Michigan. Last night, the night of 2/13/23, I got a text from one of my friends saying ‘i love you so take care no matter what okay.’ This friend is a student at Michigan State University, (where there was a deadly shooting killing 3 people, not including the gunman, and injuring 5 others *as of 2/14/23) and texted me because they heard gunshots and wanted to say goodbye ‘just in case.’ Another friend messaged to tell me he was across the street from the active shooting, on an upper floor, and that he could see the police cars and hear the sirens and he wished he went to community college instead. Told me he wished he was at home, or anywhere else, and that he was terrified. 4 more of my friends who attend MSU messaged/called me that night either checking in or seeking comfort. This all happened the night before the 5 year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. This happened about 2 years after the Oxford high school shooting. There were students at MSU last night who were at Oxford high school on November 30, 2021. There are US students less than 21 years old who have lived through more than 1 school shooting. 15-year-olds should not be able to access firearms. Individuals previously convicted on gun related crimes should not have access to firearms. Civilians should not have access to military grade automatic weapons. Students shouldn’t have to worry about dying at school. 18-year-olds shouldn’t have to text their friends ‘goodbye’ just in case. Yet all of these things keep happening, and America needs to do better.