I was in biology when it started. Out of nowhere Sheriffs armed with shotguns stormed into class and told us that we were now in the middle of a school shooting. They escorted us out of the building and when we reached the exit they told us to run for our lives as if they depended on it (they did).

While we sprinted away from our school, we saw the SWAT team positioned alongside the building, sirens echoed in the distance, the fear and anxiety of my girlfriends and I was palpable as we waited for more information on what happened.

As the details of the 1992 Lindhurst High School Shooting slowly emerged, we learned that a disgruntled and heavily armed former student had walked into the school and shot 14 students, killing 4, 3 students and a teacher. A student sitting in the same seat I had sat in a mere 30 minutes before was among those who were shot and killed.

Making matters worse he took 80 hostages holding them for an excruciating 8 hours before their eventual release.

My classmates as they are ushered out of the school by armed sheriffs.

What stuck with me from the agonizing hours of waiting was the feeling of helplessness. Knowing that even if I was there, there was nothing I could have done to stop that shooter. It was this feeling that sparked my unique relationship with firearms. Never again did I want to be helpless in a situation where someone wanted to do me and my loved ones harm.

As a school shooting survivor and second amendment supporter I believe my position on firearms is unique and worth sharing. I am an unmarried woman who lives alone. I don't have a big burly husband for protection. If someone shows up at my home intending to do me harm I’m on my own. For me, a firearm could make the difference between escaping a violent attack or being overpowered.

With that said, we should be able to go to the grocery store without the fear of getting shot. We need common sense gun laws that put up barriers for those with severe mental illness and those with violent intentions. Training in gun safety and safe storage (gun locks and gun safes) needs to be a requirement not a suggestion.

However, there are some barriers that need to be brought down. As a business owner and advocate within the cannabis industry, and medicinal user, myself and millions of law-abiding cannabis users face a felony if found in possession of a firearm.

To me, common sense gun policy means recognizing why marginalized groups need firearms, recognizing the need for certain barriers to prevent terrorists and mentally unwell people from getting guns, but also realizing the need to repeal antiquated laws that prevent law abiding Americans from owning guns.

We need a Congresswoman who can balance the utility of owning firearms with an understanding of the devastating consequences of what can happen when a deranged person brings a weapon into a school.

We cannot afford to elect a representative that does not understand the nuance and complexities of gun policy in America and we will not get that if a Republican flips this seat. Will you consider making a donation of $5, $10, or even $25 to help us build the infrastructure we need to win this November?

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