‘We Didn’t Know if We Were Going to Make It Out’

My name is Andres Perez, and I serve as the chapter president of Students Demand Action at Florida State University.

Words cannot describe the rush of emotions that I’m still processing.

Almost one week ago, one of the most horrifying events unfolded, not just for me, but for so many others in our community.

Thursday, April 17, started off like any other day. I woke up, went to class, and started going over the assigned reading.

Then, alarms sounded throughout the building. In a matter of seconds, I went from taking lecture notes to scrambling under my desk for safety. Panic set in. The lights were turned off. The door was barricaded. And then we hid in silence.

As I waited, I texted my family and friends that I loved them. Thankfully, law enforcement arrived and escorted us to a safe location. A sense of relief washed over me, but then I thought: What can I do? How can I help?

As a leader, and as a student, I knew I had a responsibility to speak up and say: Enough is enough.

Even though I’ve seen school shooting after school shooting after school shooting unfold across the United States, when I chose to attend Florida State University, I never thought a mass shooting would happen here.

I wish it didn’t have to take us being gunned down in our classrooms or on our campuses for our country, our lawmakers, and the media to recognize gun violence for the crisis that it is.

The reality is that gun violence is the number one killer of young people in America—my generation, and our generation. And while we didn’t ask for this burden, this is our fight. 

We will rise up, make our voices heard, and demand change so that no other person has to endure the tragedy and trauma we have faced.

That’s why, right now, I refuse to stay silent. Florida lawmakers are actively trying to weaken gun safety laws, including lowering the age to buy firearms from 21 back down to 18. That would reverse legislation passed in the wake of the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. We can’t let that happen.

Our generation deserves to grow up in a world where we don’t have to worry about getting shot at school—or anywhere else. We deserve to feel safe in our schools, in our homes, and in our communities. And we need Florida’s lawmakers to join our fight to make that happen.

Join us in calling on our lawmakers to oppose the dangerous rollback of our gun safety laws and ask them instead to focus on strengthening Florida’s secure storage laws.

Not based in Florida? Join Students Demand Action to fight for our lives, our dreams, and the safety of our communities.