– My friends and I made extra signs in case people wanted them and so many people wanted them
– We literally made the signs the period before the walkout
– We all circled up and held hands and prayed for the victims of Parkland
– People stepped out to talk about how it isn’t about Democrats or Republicans, gun violence needs to stop because we all want to live and want to accomplish our dreams
– After anyone said something like that, people cheered
– People held up black power fists
– Some girl read the sign I made that said “I’m afraid I’ll get shot right now” and said it was so true
– We all had a moment of silence for the victims and it is SO hard to get high schoolers to be quiet but we were all dead silent
– There was a sign with all the victims’ names written on it
– At the end, our administrator told us he was proud of us and that we can’t let this spirit last for only those 17 minutes, we have to continue spreading the message
– Everyone chanted “no more silence, stop gun violence” as we walked back into the school
– So many people chanted that as we walked back in, it was literally a sea of people
– Some guy got onto another kid for not taking it seriously and making jokes because he was not having it
– Not everyone there was from the same party, but we all agreed with each other and supported each other because we have all had enough
– It was just such a sense of togetherness because we were all so different but we came together and it was powerful
-None of what we did there was preplanned but students stepped up and communicated what we would do next so that was cool to see
“Cars kill more people than guns! What’re you gonna do, regulate cars next?”
You idiot. You moron. You utter buffoon.
Cars ARE regulated.
The permit test. The permit. The practice year. The regulations on how many hours you have to drive and at what hours and with whom. The driving test. The license. The requirements regarding insurance. License renewals. Road laws. Highway laws. Speed limits. Seatbelt laws. Carseat laws. Laws against drinking and driving and other forms of intoxication. Red lights. Not passing in intersections. Right of way.
WHO can drive and WHEN and HOW and WHERE are all regulated, because yes, a car in the wrong hands can kill a person. Just like a gun.
Oh but wait, there’s more!
I, as a licensed driver, can’t drive anything I want. I can’t drive a motorcycle. I can’t drive a speedboat.
You know what else I can’t drive? One of these.
To drive a semi-truck, I would need a Commercial Driver’s License or CDL. There are age limits involved, as well as required hours of training and study. There’s a written test and a driving test. There are also medical requirements.
And even if I passed all that, you know what I STILL couldn’t drive? One of these.
To drive a semi loaded with hazardous materials, you would have to get a federal H endorsement added to your CDL. And to get that, you have to jump through even MORE hoops, including another written test and a background check.
So yeah, guns should be better regulated. Any Joe Blow shouldn’t be able to stagger down to a gun show and get himself a sweet piece without some oversight.
And ESPECIALLY no one should be getting their hands on a semi-automatic assault rifle like an AR-15, aka the Hazardous Semi Truck of guns. There are professional reasons that a person might need clearance to handle and own such a weapon, but not a civilian. Not an unscreened rando off the street.
Try not to be such an utter wanker that you place the mere potential of a power-boner over the lives of actual children like those killed in Parkland, Sandy Hook, and elsewhere.
Chris Hixon
Nicholas Dworet
Aaron Feis
Gina Montalto
Scott Beigel
Alyssa Alhadeff
Joaquin Oliver
Jaime Guttenberg
Martin Duque
Meadow Pollack
Alex Schachter
Peter Wang
Helena Ramsay
Alaina Petty
Carmen Schentrup
Cara Loughran
Luke Hoyer
These are the latest victims of America’s apathy. From 14 to 44 years, each of them lost to a situation that happens no where else in the developed world. No where else in the developed world would Scott Biegal need to shield his students with his body. No where else in the developed world would Peter Wang be shot while holding the door, trying to help a final classmate escape the fate he was about to face. No where else in the developed world would Aaron Feis need to run towards the sound of bullets, on a fucking normal Wednesday at a god damn high school.
Trump will send his prayers and Congress will send their silence and inaction. Tomorrow will be another news cycle where the shooter becomes a footnote, no mention of his antisemitism. Next week will be another shooting and next week will be another list.
Next week Aaron Feis will not return to his team. Scott Biegal will not return to his class. Cara will never dance again, Meadow won’t reach her first college class in September. Nicholas will never swim again, and Alyssa won’t ever reach her fucking 15th birthday.
America, you can’t look at this and not see a problem. You can’t look at this and not want to help, not want to stop, not want to end this insane cycle that only halts for the fucking dead.
The defensiveness of your Republicans, of your politicians, your pundits, your spokespeople is disgusting. Your whataboutisms, your redirections, your smugness, your lies your anger at liberals, you are accomplishing nothing but putting the gun in another killer’s hands and praising yourselves for it.
I don’t know what else I can say. I think you lost your humanity the day you decided decided that turning a first grade classroom into a massacre scene was an appropriate price to pay for an amendment made in the 1700s hundred where the only guns they knew were flintlock and bulky, not the AR-15s you seem hellbent on keeping in the hands of citizens.
I guess I’m just sad. Even as an outsider looking in I’m fed up. I don’t even know what your people are facing. And I don’t think you do either.
You know what? America is really starting to piss me off regarding their gun laws. How often do you hear about school shootings happening in the UK or Australia or Canada? Pretty much never. Why? Because those countries have gun laws.
In 1996, the Dunblane school massacre happened in Scotland which killed 16 children and 1 teacher. Do you know what happened after that? Reforms were made to gun control laws. How many gun related massacres have there been since? One (Cumbria, 2010, which wasn’t a school shooting).
In 1996, the Port Arthur massacre occurred in Australia which killed 35 people and wounded 23. Do you know what happened after that? Strict gun laws were introduced. How many gun related massacres have there been since? None.
Now, America. 59 people died in the Las Vegas shooting last year. 50 people died in the Orlando nightclub shooting last year. 33 people died in the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. Sandy Hook, 2012, 28 deaths. Sutherland Springs, 2017, 27 deaths. Need I go on? How many more innocent lives need to be taken before America realises that maybe they need to do something about their gun control laws?
Of course, any American who’s reading this and is pro-guns won’t take any notice of what I’ve just said or the statistics. They’ll be full of arguments for why guns should stay. ‘Changing the laws won’t make a difference.’ Bollocks, the UK and Australia are prime examples for why changing gun control laws works. And as for those of you saying ‘guns don’t kill people, people kill people,’ you can all shut the fuck up. A gun makes their goal a lot easier to accomplish. It’s a lot easier to stop a person with a knife, for example, than it is a person with a gun. A person with a knife will likely only injure a few people before they’re stopped, a person with a gun… well just see the statistics above.
Yesterday’s shooting is the 18th school shooting of the year so far. It’s February. How is that acceptable? Even if it was December 31st, that would not be acceptable.
America, do you want more of your children to die? No? Then fucking do something about it.
holy fuck how many more people have to die until some of y’all to realize we NEED gun regulations. gun violence is a legitimate problem that is terrorizing the most safe environments and people still wanna brag about that “2nd amendment” bullshit. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE REAL ISSUE HERE
Backup Tumblr Blog 