NEWS
Parkland Shooting Aftermath
PARKLAND: Victims of the recent shootings gather to discuss how to respond to the incident
By Tommy Chan
February 26, 2018
The Parkland, Florida mass shooting left wounds that can be still felt across the nation, several weeks later.
On Feb. 14, 17 students and staff members of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were shot and killed by 19 year old Nikolas Cruz, adding on to the other 17 school shootings that has occurred in the 2018 year alone.
Now more than ever, parents, teachers and students across the globe are mourning for the loss of many bright young children and debating on how the leader of our country should deal with this crisis.
To discuss how America should improve safety at schools across the country, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos had a session on Feb. 22 with over 40 students, teachers, and community leaders who have been affected by the shootings.
One frequent option that arose was stricter gun laws, which was advocated for by a wave of student-led activism following the Parkland tragedy.
“The right to bear arms … does not and never will overpower the individual’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
-Student Florence Yared
“We’ve had enough of thoughts and prayers…To every lawmaker out there: No longer can you take money from the NRA. No longer can you fly under the radar doing whatever it is that you want to do … We are coming after every single one of you and demanding that you take action,” stated Parkland survivor Delaney Tarr.
But following this rush of activism was a wave of accusation from politicians and supporters of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The student activists who are fighting for stricter gun control laws are being accused of exploiting this tragedy to undermine our nation’s current stance on the situation.
Another course of action was instilling more frequent drills at school to prepare the staff and student of the shootings that could possibly occur.
But Trump was not in favor of this decision, stating that “Active shooter drills is a very negative thing.”
“I’d much rather have a hardened school.”
Instead, the President suggested to devote federal money to training teachers who are qualified to own and handle guns.
This idea was initially proposed to the President by the NRA which presses to expand the right to carry a concealed firearm nationwide.
The head of the N.R.A., Wayne LaPierre, spoke publicly on Thursday for the first time since the Parkland shooting, and criticized Democrats calling for more gun control laws.
“Their goal is to eliminate the Second Amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms,” said LaPierra at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.
The idea of arming teachers is not a new concept.
The N.R.A. initially advocated for it in response to the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 children dead.
The gun lobby also supported to raise the age threshold for purchasing firearms from 18 to 21, as well as enhancing background checks for individuals seeking to buy guns.
“A ‘gun free’ school is a magnet for bad people. ATTACKS WOULD END,” stated President Trump.
Tommy Chan is a Senior who joined The Mirror staff in his junior year. He started his journey in this field as a News Writer and has worked his way up to the position of News Editor.
Aside from Journalism, Tommy enjoys creative writing and volunteers as a teacher to children in Cambodia. Tommy hopes to major in a branch of Environmental Science to contribute to the fight against Global Warming.
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