In the aftermath of the Florida school shooting, I reflected on my thoughts and frustrations, so I’d like to apologize in advance if my statements are somewhat sporadic.
A few weeks ago, I sat down to write an article for Her Campus at SLU about how America has become desensitized to school shootings. That morning, my ethics teacher had begun class by asking, “so what’s going on in the news?”—her daily attempt to make us more politically and socially aware of the world around us. She lets a few students shout out some news stories that popped up on their Twitters or Snapchats and then she asks some questions of her own, offering bonuses to those who correctly guess the answer. On January 24th, her first question was “in what state did this week’s school shooting happen?”
I didn’t know the answer, and I was furious about it. Why hadn’t I heard this news? Two 15-year-old students were shot and killed and 18 more injured, and yet I hadn’t encountered the story once—and no, I’m not just a lazy millennial who is unconcerned with political and global happenings; I try my best to stay informed. After numerous futile attempts at figuring out what I wanted to say in my article and exactly how I would say it, I decided not to write it.
But then came February 14th. I spent the day at a loss for words. Seventeen people were murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In contrast to the shooting in Kentucky that had occurred on January 23rd, this story did cross my radar, but the outlook and reaction were not any more auspicious than before. Even though this is the eighteenth gun incident on a school campus in America in 2018, the conversation is disheartening. Politicians who have the power to make a valid change do nothing more than offering their prayers and condolences on Twitter.
In the past few days, I have observed a plethora of arguments made in the wake of this tragedy, which fixate solely on small, relatively insignificant details. People shout hollow points to drown out the actual issue. Seventeen lives were taken, and the conversation was turned to attack certain media outlets for calling the gun by the wrong name. Seventeen lives were taken, and the conversation was veered to discussing abortion. Seventeen lives were taken, and the conversation was averted to Russian collusion and FBI conspiracies.
Again, and again, these arguments avoid addressing the actual topic in the form of thousands of comments, posts, and statements, which are comprised almost entirely of meaningless, illogical fallacies. For example, I’ve witnessed multiple people presenting an argument with the premise that the only folks who are calling for gun control are 1) part of a tyrannical government with ulterior motives attempting to unarm hard-working citizens in order to control, abuse, and oppress them, or 2) a bunch of left-wing, liberal, snowflake, yahoos that’ve never been around a gun in their life and cry home to their Mommas because they’re afraid of an inanimate object.
I call bullshit on both. I have shot multiple guns and even own my own; I am by no means afraid of them. My “motive” for wanting sensible gun reform is (surprise!) wanting fewer people murdered.
The other terrifying statement I’ve repeatedly seen is that this is supposed “the price of freedom.” People are proudly and confidently claiming that the PREVENTABLE deaths of hundreds of children are the price we must pay to retain our rights as American citizens. Apparently, if we allow any further regulations to be imposed on our Second Amendment right, it will rapidly progress to more and more rules and restrictions. All of which will culminate in the “tyrannical government” coming to break down our doors, march into our homes, STEAL all our guns, and then OPPRESS and ABUSE us hard-working Americans—all with the intention of permanently OBLITERATING the AMERICAN DREAM (aka the slippery slope fallacy, folks).
So, to all the “I need it for hunting” people and the “it’s my second amendment right” people:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfaB91RDSNr/?hl=en&taken-by=sophiabush
I’d also like to briefly examine the good ol’ “if we ban guns, the bad guys will still find them illegally, so there’s no point.” People claim if we put gun restrictions in place, the mass shooters will find them illegitimately or resort to making/using other weapons such as knives, bombs, etc. This tweet pretty perfectly encapsulates my response to that:
https://twitter.com/everywhereist/status/964340021401546752
Oh, and for the “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” people:
https://twitter.com/everywhereist/status/964972452538232832
One last astounding argument I’ll address is the “solution” that’s been proposed numerous times. This so-called solution states that the answer to all our problems is to hire security guards, install metal detectors, and train and arm every teacher to protect our children if (or in this case, when) another school shooting occurs. This essentially equates to sitting and waiting for “the inevitable” to happen, and hoping that a “good guy” gets in a good shot before the perpetrator murders too many kids. How is this more effective than putting in PREVENTATIVE solutions that could keep these harrowing situations from occurring in the first place? Secondly, as much as I have appreciated and respected my teachers over the years, I know for damn sure that they should not all be trusted with a gun. And lastly, while I, of course, don’t claim to have any grasp of school districts’ policies for the allocation of resources and funding, what I do know is that my sister—a middle school teacher—is buying posters and colored pencils straight out of her pocket. So, my question is which one of y’all are planning on paying for all the expensive new guns, training, guards, etc. that you want to implement? But that’s tea.
There are countless other arguments I could bring up, but I’m guessing you all get my point. Do better; be better.
As the days have passed since the shooting, my thoughts have been shifting more towards introspection. I’m 19 years old. I’m a sophomore in college. When I reflect on what the primary thoughts of an almost-20-year-old university student should be, they’re along the lines of college classes, upcoming assignments, weekend plans, etc. The most complex and pivotal thoughts should most likely pertain to career planning or professional development. But never would I have expected that I’d instead be spending such a significant amount of my time consumed with fear for not only my safety but for that of my future kids. I’m 19-years-old, and I’m questioning whether this country will be a safer place in the next ten-or-so years, or if instead I’ll be taking my kids to school each morning and wondering as I drop them off if they’ll survive the day.
My friend shared this post with me:
https://twitter.com/itshaileyreese/status/964621698371698688
Let. That. Sink. In. How can we say we’re doing enough to protect our country’s children when that is the thought we are forcing them to consider. I am sickened by the thought of my little cousins, who are currently in elementary school, ever even having to think about these situations, yet it is becoming more and more of a reality.
So what now? Do we all just go about our business and simply keep our cell-phone ringers on so we’ll be quick to answer if we’re the ones to receive the call that 17 families received on February 14th? What if it was your town. Your school. Your peers. Your friends. Your kids. Would you care then? Would that change your mind? Would those lives finally hold more value than your hobby or your desire to have the most extensive arsenal at your disposal? Who has to die before it matters to you?
If it were up to our politicians, it seems as though the answer of how we should act would be to do exactly what they’re doing: not a single. Damn. Thing. However, it’s no longer up to them. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are not letting themselves or their stories be silenced, and because of their bravery in the face of such unimaginable pain, change is coming.
Multiple students (read: survivors) of Marjory Stoneman Douglas have announced via TV interviews and social media sites that they intend to orchestrate a nationwide “March For Our Lives,” demanding politicians to take action regarding gun violence and implement common-sense policies. These young activists are the future voters, lawmakers, and leaders of this country and they refuse to allow the current administration to stay complacent.
On March 24th, there will be organized marches in Washington DC and across the country, inspired and ignited by the empowering voices of America’s future.
On March 14th and April 20th, national school walkouts are planned to protest of gun violence and in commemoration of the lives that have been so senselessly lost.
So, I implore you: Listen to them. Support them. March with them. America’s youth is done with our country’s leaders caring more about their NRA paychecks than our lives. Those students (and the thousands of others uniting with them, myself included) will bring change. We are ensuring that the conversation will continue progressing forward, and that it will not be diverted from this message: never again.