Oklahoma City and Columbine inspire activism

Shootings, rape, theft and any other types of crimes you can think of are never going to end. We will always live in a world where no one is completely safe at all times. We have to be aware that no matter who we are, we are not immune to the horrible events that sometimes touch people's lives.

The 11th anniversary of the Columbine massacre was Tuesday. The day before was the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Many people are taking advantage of this time to advocate changes to "gun show loophole" laws. With this loophole, people are allowed to buy guns from private sellers without background checks or signing paperwork. Activists are saying rules like these made it possible for the gunmen in the Columbine massacre to buy guns from a show where background checks weren't required.

Even when its impossible to stop anyone from killing someone else or to end crime once and for all, we can still make a difference. We have the power at any age, any time to go to our congressman or senators and make our proposals to change the law. We don't just have to sit back and take the risks and the dangers that are sometimes very prevalent in our lives.

We deserve to live in a respectable setting of safety and security. We all want to raise our kids, when and if we have them, in a nurturing environment. We want to be able to walk down the street without having to look behind us every minute or not have to carry a bottle of pepper spray.

It doesn't just have to be about changing things for murder. We can advocate for safer schools with less bullies. We can fight for more security in our neighborhoods, better lighting and up-keeping on our streets to keep crime away.

Don't let the idea of death and sadness about these two anniversaries get you down. Instead, use them as inspiration to do something about it and make our world a little better than it has been.