BLOGS
High School Students Take a Stand on Gun Violence
BLOGS: Students are killing students and it’s time we take a stand.
Gina Kim | Opinions Writer
March 15, 2018
I lay in bed scrolling through Facebook, watching and reading reports on the most recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
I came across two graphic videos–one which has been deleted.
A teacher lied in a puddle of blood as officials came to escort students out the classroom. A body was seen in the middle of the hallway.
Students screamed for their lives as gunshots echoed. The powdery wisp from the gunpowder floated in the air.
Reports showed the last text messages sent from students to their loved ones. “If I don’t make it I love you and I appreciated everything you did for me.”
It’s time we take a stand alongside and unite with students across the country to make a difference.
Survivors like David Hogg are becoming strong voices for gun control. Several have turned to the media to express the urgency in gun reform laws.
Four days after the shooting, an activist movement known as “Never Again” emerged. Its goal is to provide stricter background checks for gun buyers and plans for a nationwide protest (a March for Our Lives) scheduled on March 24.
Students, parents and teachers who were victimized by the shooting gathered at CNN town hall on Wednesday, February 21 to challenge lawmakers and the National Rifle Association.
On the same day, hundreds of students from the Washington D.C. area walked out of school to protest at the White House.
Students laid down on the ground, symbolizing the dead from school shootings. They pointed at the White House, chanting “shame on you” and “Donald Trump, Mike Pence, gun control is common sense.”
Many school districts officials have threatened to suspend high school students who participate in gun control walkouts and in other protests called by survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
However, colleges, including Yale and Dartmouth, have recently encouraged students to “speak your truth” and announced that peaceful student protests against guns will not hurt chances of admission.
This movement will be remembered throughout American history and will hopefully be a turning point in gun violence.
Gina Kim is currently the Business Manager for The Mirror and first joined the staff as a sophomore.
Gina focuses her articles in voicing the opinions of the students at Van Nuys High School. Along with writing Opinion articles, Gina enjoys reading various books. She has volunteered at Valley Presbyterian Hospital and LAPD Devonshire PALS. She has also participated in an Earthwatch Ignite expedition and has a great value for nature.
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