The Case for School Walkouts

The+Case+for+School+Walkouts

Elizabeth Youssef, Editor-in-Chief

By Elizabeth Youssef

On February 12, 2018, students, families, faculty and an entire community were rocked by a horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. There were 17 people killed and many more injured. This is the reality of our country. One where gun control laws and safety protocols have not been updated to keep up with the times. School shootings used to be a rarity but now it seems like we hear of something almost every week.

   Students at Stoneman Douglas demanded change from government officials to better protect against school shootings and led the charge that sparked National School Walkouts all around the country. National School Walkouts have helped give national attention to school shootings in our country and put pressure on government officials to take action. Yet somehow, even with all of the school shootings, gun legislation has not changed. The shooter at Stoneman Douglas shot students and staff with an AR-15. How is it possible in our country that a 19-year-old civilian has access to an assault rifle?

   No good can come from having an assault rifle. They are weapons made for combat, intended for the military and not made for recreational use. There are no practical applications for an assault rifle that could not be fulfilled by a different type of gun. Assault rifles were created to carry out the most destruction against the enemy in war. Why should civilians have access to it? There was a federal ban on assault rifles from 1994 to 2004, but it failed to be renewed and ever since we have left a gaping hole in gun control legislation in the United States.

   Banning assault rifles is not an attack on anyone’s Second Amendment rights. Everyone still has the right to protect themselves and the right to bear arms. Just not with assault rifles. If the goal is really just for protection then a hand gun, a shot gun or any other type of weapon would do just the same. Do we really believe that the founding fathers who wrote the Bill of Rights were including assault rifles in the “right to bear arms”? That every person has the right to own their own special assault rifle? Because assault rifles were not intended for civilians, delaying banning them is simply leading to more school mass shootings.

   It was apparent after the Stoneman Douglas shooting that students would have to be their own advocates and implore government officials to see what their inaction has caused. This is why National School Walkouts have started and been encouraged. There are not two sides to this issue. School shootings are not okay. It is unacceptable that our federal, state and local governments have not taken action in order to better prevent school shootings. This is not about your right to bear arms: it is about everybody else’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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