Student Corner: Walk Outs
In light of the upcoming walk out to protest gun violence, consider the following two perspectives on why one would walk out and why one would stay. Please be respectful of each individual's opinion toward this controversial matter.
Photo retrieved from Mr. Knight
WHY I WALK OUT
RAEANN QUICK | APRIL 19, 2018 | COLUMN
I suppose people often ask these reasons in the vain hopes to catch information in which invalidates the way that students feel passionate about the cause. However, I will agree that simply walking out will cause change. While the act makes a statement, I do not see walking out is the sole activity in which we are partaking in, as there needs to be certain steps of action that promote the vision to be carried out.
I am walking out for the sake of political protest. This walkout is about these students wanting a safer future for all. I, myself will be graduating next year. However, I am worried about my brother, in middle school, will deal with these massacres. I worry about how many children will have to be killed for people to do something. I suppose what I am getting at is that I no longer want to see students be held in these scenarios in which they are powerless. I no longer want to see minorities targeted in such murders, not only in Parkland, but namely the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando (in which many of the victims were both members of the LGBT community and people of color).
I am walking out to show that schools are not the problem. The amount of resource officers will only tighten school budgets, prompt teachers to possibly conduct drills in which interfere with valuable class time. The implications of increasing officers could also create a more prison-like environment, making a particular sense of mistrust between black students and officers due to the statistics indicating that school officers are much more likely to target black students than others.
I walk out to make sure that these voices are heard. Most of all, I walk out to make sure that these deaths are not in vain. I no longer want the other cheek to be turned for the amount of brutality in the United States. I hope the walkout not only shows the power of students collectively creating an event in which their voices are heard once. With the walkout, I hope that we will be able to instill a perpetual passion for civic duty, such as voting and participating in other events of political action.
WHY I STAY
LUKE ASUNCION | APRIL 19, 2018 | COLUMN
On March 14, 2018, students, teachers and faculty participated in the National School Walkout to honor the 17 victims of the terrible Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, but also to protest gun violence. I did not walk out. Even though I feel horrible for those innocent victims and their families, I did not participate because mental illnesses, not guns, should be at the forefront of this discussion.
Mental illnesses are why these atrocities happen, not guns. Any normal, moral human being would not shoot up a school, while a person with a mental illness could be more inclined to do such an evil thing. Some mentally ill people simply don’t feel for others, making it very “easy” to commit such an evil act. They lack empathy and, in some cases, they entirely lack emotion. Some mentally ill people are simply in constant distress anger or sadness, and these emotions, when escalated or provoked, can lead to evil things.
One damning aspect of mental illnesses is the fact that they can be easily shrouded and therefore hard to detect. However, conscientious observation by morally right people should be able to recognize symptoms in mentally ill people and hopefully report it to the correct professionals such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. Mentally ill people can change and become better – they just need help. You should report anything you deem off or suspicious about people.
Furthermore, mental illnesses that come from physical or emotional abuse, such as bullying or separation, is so sad because of how easily it can be prevented. One of the country’s most infamous school shootings at Columbine High School was due, in part, to kids feeling like they were outsiders. Granted, they should not be given sympathy for their actions, but there is the chance that the shooting could have been prevented if people treated them with kindness. I believe kindness is the most important trait to have in a human being.
The main requests from the participants of the walk out entail banning assault weapons, requiring universal background checks before gun sales and passing a gun violence restraining order law that would allow courts to disarm people who display warning signs of violent behavior. I wholeheartedly agree with the latter demands, but I do not agree with the first demand. I see guns as tools. Some guns, namely assault weapons, are high-quality tools, while some are low-quality tools like handguns. No matter what tool is used someone is bound to get hurt. The banning of assault weapons will not limit shootings nor will the banning of all guns stop shootings. Guns, much like drugs, another plague in our society that is taught about in schools unlike the proper handling of guns, can be acquired illegally. There is little stopping a mentally ill person from purchasing a gun from the black market.
Currently, the conversation is about establishing gun free zones and neglecting to acknowledge what allowed for the magnitude of the shooting last month. I wish to discuss why no one seems to be talking about the police officers that were on duty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who failed to respond effectively to the campus-shooter. Here we see a bad person using a gun, not stopped by good people with the authority to use guns. I don’t really understand it. If there was a walkout to increase the efficacy of the police, I am sure I would participate.