The recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida was said to be one of the worlds deadliest school massacres. Students at Stoneman Douglas soon realized this should be the last school shooting to ever happen so they started the Never Again movement which is a student led movement demanding an end to selling certain guns to people and getting stricter regulations on guns so shootings such as the one in Parkland could never happen again.
Ever since the shooting, high school students across the country have joined together by walking out of their schools and they are determined to have their voices heard by congress. Students have made signs dedicated to the shooting and signs about their own personal opinions on the situation and what should be done.
Junior Shelby Cox believes that the schools alternative to walking out, including writing a letter to government officials and sending condolence notes, is still go- ing to be helpful to the cause.
“I think it’s definitely gonna be effec- tive if people participate I’m not sure if it will be as effective as walking out but I definitely think it will get the word out,” Cox said.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine spoke about the gun violence topic in a recent press release. “It is deep hope that after this horrible shooting in parkland, some- thing may be different in this body. And the reason that I think this one might be different is – these students are standing up and challenging us,” Kaine said. ”The children of our nation are asking adults to be adults. They are asking us to look in the mirror. They’ve posed the question starkly. What is more important to you — your children or campaign contributions from an interest group? … The advocacy of students and their challenge to us may show us a way.”
Kaine has thought of steps to reduce gun violence and he believes that there should not be anymore loopholes for people to get guns they shouldn’t have.
“Out of the pain, what we learned is you can actually take concrete steps that will make your community safer, that will reduce gun violence. You won’t eliminate it. That’s beyond our power as humble people to do, but you can reduce it. If you know you can, then you must. You have a responsibility to do what you can,” Kaine said.
The people who do participate in the walk out of their school have to remember that there will be consequences for their actions.
According to the ACLU, students have to recognize that they are still in school and protesting could mean that students are skipping class and could face a sus- pension. But the school can’t discipline students more for the message behind their protesting. When students walk into school they do not lose their first amend- ment rights for freedom of speech just as long as students do not the disrupt class time they could think of alternatives to protesting like writing a letter to congress or writing for their school newspaper.
The ACLU (The American Civil Liberties Union) of Virginia has recently been providing information on how high school students should handle these protests and what to expect if they walk out of school. According to the ACLU of Virginia schools should seek a more educational approach rather than a disciplinary approach.
The students of Stoneman Douglas have put together a march on Washing- ton titled March of Our Lives which is happening on March 24th. They will be marching to show people that this is only the beginning for their fight to end all gun violence. These students who are protesting believe that no one should be able to get certain guns so easily they believe it is time for a big change in the world.
Many adults see the actions of these students who are protesting as an exam- ple of how this generation of students can join together. This generation of students who speak their minds can begin to show how they could change the world.