Chaos arose as a barrage of bullet fire could be heard in the hallways of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The terrified students hid under tables inside their classrooms and wondered if they would ever see their families again. One classmate recorded the horrific, intense moment on his phone and shared it on social media.

Student Video

Parents waited in agony to hear any news of their children. When they did hear news, some felt relieved, but to the parents of the students who died, tragedy struck. We wish that this would never happen because now parents are missing their children, families are truly heartbroken and devastated, and many others around the world are, too.

The gunman — Nikolas Cruz — had been suspended from Douglas for fighting. On Feb. 14, Cruz arrived by Uber after 2 p.m., walked into the school, and pulled a fire alarm. As freshmen exited their classrooms, Cruz used his semi-automatic AR-15 rifle to shoot people on the first and second floors. With seventeen people dead, Cruz then threw out the rifle, his vest, and ammunition in a stairwell and exited the building with other terrified students. Police arrested Cruz as he walked down a street in a residential area.

Classmates and former teachers described Cruz as a “troubled kid” who liked showing off his firearms, bragging about his killing animals for the fun of it, and posting on Instagram comments like “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”

You would’ve thought someone would have taken action out of concern about Cruz’s irregular behavior. Neighbors and the family he had moved in with after his mother died last year could have made a major difference if they had reported his actions to the authorities. Cruz’s actions were not only a mental issue but also a gun control issue. Even though Cruz passed a background check and legally purchased the weapon, a 19-year-old should not have gotten access to an AR-15. The age of buying such dangerous weapons should be raised to 21.

President Trump is finally putting away the unnecessary things he has been doing and finally — after many past shootings — putting his focus on school safety.

“No child, no teacher should ever be in danger in an American school. No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning,” Trump said.

He wants teachers to be allowed to have guns in schools. We hope Mr. Trump makes it to where schools have more security by putting metal detectors on every single school entry to protect everybody in the school building.