Dear Senator Toomey, Senator Casey, and Representative Smucker,
I was born April 21, 1999, the day after 13 teenagers were shot by two teenagers with guns at Columbine high school. When I was 7, a man walked into the West Nickel Mines school and killed 5 girls with a gun. When I was 13, a man killed 26 at Sandy Hook with his gun. When I was 16, a white man carrying a gun walked into a black church and slaughtered 9. When I was 17, a man shot 49 at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando with his gun. When I was 18, a man killed 58 in Las Vegas with his guns and another killed 26 in a church. And before I could turn 19, a man killed 17 in Parkland, Florida, with his gun. In every single one of these cases, a gun killed people. Guns need someone to pull the trigger, but one bump of a finger can slaughter so many, unlike other weapons. I firmly believe that if the shooter in Parkland had carried a knife instead of an AR-15, far fewer students and teachers would be dead today. I am only 18 and I've only become politically active over the past year. I understand that I'm young, that I seem uneducated, that matters of gun legislation seem beyond my comprehension. However, there are some things about my life that I don't think you, as my representatives, understand. I don't know if I can express to you what it was like to grow up watching these tragedies happen. I walked through the hallways thinking about the very real possibility that a student had a gun in their backpack that I wouldn't know about until it was too late. I sat through drills and holds and lockdowns wondering what I would be able to do if a shooter walked into my classroom. Would I run? Would I stop them? Would I shield a classmate? I grew up with the narrative "guns don't kill people, people kill people." I grew up hearing that regulations wouldn't change anything, that laws would only harm law-abiding citizens instead of criminals, that this problem is a mental illness issue, not a gun issue. I also grew up knowing that alcohol was illegal and watching those around me get drunk on the weekends. I knew that driving drunk was illegal, but still heard stories of teenagers never making it home because of one stupid mistake. I knew that I should always wear a seatbelt in a moving vehicle and that no helmet meant no bike. Should we get rid of the drinking age because some students don't follow it? Should we get rid of speed limits because some people don't pay attention to them? Should we get rid of seatbelts and airbags because they don't save the life of every person who uses them? Should we forget about helmets since children don't always wear them? Representatives, I am 18 years old. According to our laws, I am too young to drink alcohol because my brain isn't developed enough to handle its effects. If I'm not old enough to drink a glass of wine, why am I old enough to own an assault rifle? If I'm not old enough to take my life into my own hands when it comes to drinking a beer, why am I old enough to carry a weapon that can and will kill someone else? I am not naive enough to think that increasing gun legislation will prevent every single shooting. I'm not cruel enough to think that all guns should be taken away. However, I've seen over and over again that no changes by our government means no changes in our schools. Representatives, this is where you come in. I am begging you to pass legislation restricting bump stocks and other accessories that make weapons automatic. I am begging you to decrease the number of bullets legally permitted in a round. I am begging you to really consider what weapons should be accessible to the general public. A gun that can kill 26 people in 2 minutes is not a gun meant for self-defense – it is a gun meant for murder. An AR-15, designed in the 1950s for military use, is not a weapon that an 18-year-old should have access to. I am begging you to take a long, hard look at our background check process. Someone with mental illness or a history of domestic abuse should not have a weapon in their hands. I am begging you to stop the sale of firearms by private citizens, to make extensive background checks mandated, and to update registries as often as possible. We have an epidemic of mass shootings on our hand. These are generally committed by white males with a history of mental illness or violence. These are problems we have to address. These are problems we have to acknowledge. And these are problems that we have to fix. My brother is a freshman in high school. My father works at the same high school. My mother works in a middle school in an adjacent school district. They deserve to walk into the school building and feel safe. Every student in America deserves the chance to walk out of school carrying a backpack, not being carried in a body bag. In my AP Government class last year, we discussed the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. I am begging you to uphold the Second Amendment. Representatives, a well regulated militia is absolutely essential to the security of our free state, and that is what I am asking for now. I've grown up watching thoughts and prayers be sent while mouths stayed closed. We as a country and you as a Congress have avoided the problem for too long. Every time we watch a shooting occur and do nothing to prevent the next, our hands get bloodier. Representative Smucker, Senator Toomey, and Senator Casey, if you're willing to protect children in the womb but not in our schools, then you are pro-fetus, not pro-life. Your silence has killed 122 students in my lifetime – how many more lives will it take to open your mouths? Protect my brother. Protect my friends. Protect my parents. Protect my nation. Draft, pass, and enact legislation today. School shootings are a fact of life right now, but with your help, they don't have to stay that way. Sincerely, Liz Bierly.
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Let's get real for a second: there's a reason people say TGIF. At the end of a long week of classes, it can be super tempting to climb into bed, watch Netflix or scroll through Pinterest, and push all your responsibilities off to another day. I love tea, reading, and relaxing as much as the next person, but there are a few things that I (try) to do every weekend to set myself up for success during the next week.
1. Clean out your inbox. Every Friday afternoon, I go through both my personal and my school email and sort through the full inbox. I respond to any messages, email professors with any questions, pin important emails to deal with later, and put everything else into folders. This means I'm aware of any schedule changes and gives others advance notice of any issues. Also, it just feels way nicer to go into the weekend without a ton of unread emails just chilling and waiting to be opened. 2. Wash dishes. I know that doing the dishes isn't the most entertaining thing, but this helps to organize your living space (especially if you're in a dorm), is one less thing to deal with later, and makes sure you'll have a mug to put tea in later :) 3. Write down priorities for the weekend. I sketch out a rough outline of everything I need to do and check it off as I go. This avoids a mad scramble Sunday night to finish the 20 things I forgot about and gives me an idea of what my priorities should actually be. (Side note: make sure you actually check this list later on!) 4. Start any big assignments. The last thing I feel like doing after a long week of classes is more homework, but the hardest part of doing something is generally starting it. I take Friday nights to make rough outlines of essays or papers, lists of shots I need to film, and readings I need to get done. Alternatively, I get all the "little things" like workbook pages out of the way to free up time later in the weekend for my really major assignments. 5. Get as much homework done as possible. This is obviously dependent on your schedule, but if you can, finish as much as you can on Saturday. That gives you time to really relax and reset on Sunday before another week of classes and can alleviate some of the Sunday-night-blues. Also, front-loading assignments is so so so helpful. Even though it took all weekend, I worked ahead a bit in classes since I knew I had some big assignments coming up this week that I know I'll need time to actually do. 6. Do a workout (and/or get outside). Doing homework all day will result in a ton of mental fatigue, a loss of productivity, and some serious frustration. Give yourself some time to go for a walk or run, do some yoga, or take a 15 minute stretch break in your dorm. This clears your mind, reenergizes your body, and releases endorphins/dopamine to improve your mood! 7. Do your laundry. Put fresh sheets on your bed, wash your towels, and make sure you have clean clothes. Monday mornings get way suckier when you realize you don't have any clean socks or jeans to wear. 8. Review the coming week. Take a few minutes to look over your week as a whole, making notes of tests, meetings, and projects you need to be aware of. This avoids that super unpleasant feeling of walking into class and realizing you forgot an important due date. 9. Unplug for an hour. Turn off your phone, put away your laptop, and take time to grab coffee with a friend, take a nap, or otherwise enjoy some tech-free time. If you're like me and struggle to sleep well (or at all), decreasing screen time close to bed actually really helps. 10. Get to bed on time. I know, I know, I sound like a mom. However, starting off your week in a sleep deficit makes Mondays feel so much worse than they actually need to. Shoot for at least 7 hours of sleep and get pumped for the awesome week you have in store! |
LizWriting, running, reading, and keeping it real along the way. Archives
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