Gun Control Debate #5

[flourish]

It seems to me that the schools who are allowing this maybe realized it would be futile and not helpful to try to punish all the children and instead remembered their best teaching practices and recognized this as a natural teachable moment and took advantage of the opportunity to teach the students about peaceful protests.

Yes, I'd much rather have children miss whatever in-class lessons that were planned and do these meaningful protests rather than missing school because they or their classmates are dead.

 

[flourish]

I just looked up the schools in districts with which I have some familiarity to see what they're doing.

Blackfoot High School supports our student’s rights to peaceful assembly and free expression. The BHS Administration has worked with our student leaders to create a plan to allow students to show respect to the 17 students that lost their lives in the Parkland school shooting and to express their concerns about school safety. The students will have the option of gathering at the school or attending their advisory class. The gathering will start at the high school track at 10:00 a.m. and last until 10:25 a.m. Students will not be disciplined for peacefully participating in the walkout. When the activity concludes, students are expected to return promptly to class. Attendance will be taken, and any student who fails to return to class will be marked absent.

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2018/...ricts-will-handle-students-walkout-wednesday/

I think that was a reasonable approach.

I was a little surprised to see the school district in Eugene, Oregon wasn't more on board, though, considering it's a very political area and also rather liberal and they also have experienced the Thurston High School and Umpqua College shootings.

Students who participate peacefully in a walkout demonstration receive an unexcused absence for the class period or periods they miss. More disruptive or disorderly conduct could have disciplinary consequences, as it would under any circumstances, but we hope that will not arise.

http://klcc.org/post/eugene-students-will-join-national-school-walkout



(Edited because autocorrect was incorrect)

 

[ohreally]

My biggest fear is someone will use the gatherings as an opportunity for infamy and do another mass shooting.

This has been my biggest fear also. I am glad to see the day seems to be going smoothly.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Father of Parkland Victim: Gun Control Is Not 'Achievable,' Focus on School Safety

http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/03/...llack-gun-control-not-achievable-focus-school

Andrew Pollack, whose daughter died in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting, said Monday he does not believe gun control legislation is "achievable" in the current political climate.

Instead, Pollack called on Florida lawmakers to pass Gov. Rick Scott's (R) proposed bill, which focuses on school safety and mental health.

"I'm about being productive and doing something that's achievable right now. And what's achievable is everyone getting together and making our schools safe."

 

[flourish]

Father of Parkland Victim: Gun Control Is Not 'Achievable,' Focus on School Safety

http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/03/...llack-gun-control-not-achievable-focus-school

Andrew Pollack, whose daughter died in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting, said Monday he does not believe gun control legislation is "achievable" in the current political climate.

Instead, Pollack called on Florida lawmakers to pass Gov. Rick Scott's (R) proposed bill, which focuses on school safety and mental health.

"I'm about being productive and doing something that's achievable right now. And what's achievable is everyone getting together and making our schools safe."

I'd like to see a multidimensional approach, but agree school safety and mental health are two of the areas needing addressed.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Will these young children being allowed to skip school and "protest" reduce that risk?

I think the protests are a futile attempt at gun control.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

I can understand why some would not agree with these protests.

My biggest fear is this is going to set a precedent where now every time there is the next "cause" that the kids will use it as an excuse to get out of class for the day and start a new protest for something else.

Students have been precedenting all over the place for decades. This isn’t the first time students have staged walkouts.

They’re exercising their right to free speech. It applies to high schoolers, too.

 

[bobcat]

What they need to be protesting is that the Parkland school shooting should not have even happened, if law enforcement officials had properly done their job. No new laws were needed to prevent that tragedy. Instead they want to place the blame on guns, and the NRA. However, even if I agreed with the message, I still wouldn't agree with it happening while school is in session. Do your protest after school, or on the weekend.

 

[Blef]

What they need to be protesting is that the Parkland school shooting should not have even happened, if law enforcement officials had properly done their job. No new laws were needed to prevent that tragedy. Instead they want to place the blame on guns, and the NRA. However, even if I agreed with the message, I still wouldn't agree with it happening while school is in session. Do your protest after school, or on the weekend.

Why are you angry about people asserting their first amendment right, yet so for people asserting their second amendment right?

The NRA is to blame for the lack of gun control. A lobby group that is funded by the gun industry has no place talking about guns. It is biased. The more guns and ammo sold, then the more money the NRA get. They aren't concerned about gun safety, just gun sales.

 

[ohreally]

I am interested in what the numbers mean. Going by the link to walk outs posted avove:
In our district students were allowed to walk out and and long as they stayed within the rules there would be no punishment. Only 6 high school out of 27 (not including alternative or charter schools) had walk out protests, and at those schools not all students walked out. No middle schools and only 1 elementary school participated. In another county only 2 of the 10 high schools had walk outs protests and not all students in those schools walked out. They were also allowed to walk out without punishment as long as they stayed in the rules. No elemantary or middle schools participated.
Some of the surrounding districts had no walkouts.
The numbers IMO shows that a very low amount of students participated in the protest.
Even looking at the map around where the shooting happened very few schools participated.

 

[Blef]

I think the protests are a futile attempt at gun control.

Yet they are more proactive than anything the Federal government have come up with

 

[Blef]

What they need to be protesting is that the Parkland school shooting should not have even happened, if law enforcement officials had properly done their job. No new laws were needed to prevent that tragedy. Instead they want to place the blame on guns, and the NRA. However, even if I agreed with the message, I still wouldn't agree with it happening while school is in session. Do your protest after school, or on the weekend.

Sorry but you are blaming one agency for something that was a massive SNAFU by many.

 

[bobcat]

Why are you angry about people asserting their first amendment right, yet so for people asserting their second amendment right?

The NRA is to blame for the lack of gun control. A lobby group that is funded by the gun industry has no place talking about guns. It is biased. The more guns and ammo sold, then the more money the NRA get. They aren't concerned about gun safety, just gun sales.

I wouldn't say I'm "angry," just disappointed that public tax dollars are being wasted on a message that I, and many other Americans don't necessarily agree with. I'm glad you give the NRA so much credit for protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. Without them there's a good chance the government would be coming to my house to confiscate all the guns I have in my safe. Maybe I should send a big donation?

 

[bobcat]

Sorry but you are blaming one agency for something that was a massive SNAFU by many.

I'm not blaming only one agency but ALL law enforcement agencies who were involved.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

What they need to be protesting is that the Parkland school shooting should not have even happened, if law enforcement officials had properly done their job. No new laws were needed to prevent that tragedy. Instead they want to place the blame on guns, and the NRA. However, even if I agreed with the message, I still wouldn't agree with it happening while school is in session. Do your protest after school, or on the weekend.

I disagree with your take on the whole thing. Seems to me like the entire community was trying to help this troubled kid.

The mass shooting would have definitely been prevented if he didn’t have access to guns. Raiding the buying age long ago would have prevented it, and I’m thankful that Florida lawmakers understand that now.

IMO

 

[human]

I don't mind certain students being involved in a protest, if they actually have an opinion and know what the protest is actually about. These students should be required to have permission from their parents to be leaving school. I don't like that some schools are sanctioning this event and even encouraging it. I also totally disagree with any elementary age children being involved.

Since 1999, students in schools in MN were required to have 6 lockdown drills a year.Apparently, they have been changed to active shooter drills as much has been learned from the many school shootings and the hundreds of threatened school shootings since the one in Colorado which I will not name.

These children have been doing LOCKDOWNS and ACTIVE SHOOTING DRILLS some since preschool.

They have the absolute right to say they are sick of wondering if this is the day they are going to die.

In Minnesota, there were 70 school threats after Parkland. The two in my former city were arrested.

There are hundreds of threats that are thwarted as well as the actual ones that result in death

 

[Jennifer17]

I wouldn't say I'm "angry," just disappointed that public tax dollars are being wasted on a message that I, and many other Americans don't necessarily agree with. I'm glad you give the NRA so much credit for protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. Without them there's a good chance the government would be coming to my house to confiscate all the guns I have in my safe. Maybe I should send a big donation?

Who has ever said that they want that to happen?

 

[human]

This is a political stunt, nothing more. Not all students are going to have the same viewpoint on these issues, and ALL students should not have to feel compelled into going along with whatever the message may be. As I said, let students do their political protesting on their own time. And don't tell me this event today is a learning experience regarding gun safety. I'll teach my kids about gun safety at home and at the shooting range. As to the elementary age students, way too young to understand politics, keep them out if it and let them concentrate on learning what they're supposed to be learning in school.

What they learn at school is that they need lockdowns and active shooter drills.

Some learn to duck at home so they don’t get hit by random bullets.

Some learn that their parents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, friends, teachers, siblings are never going to be seen again

 

[Blef]

I wouldn't say I'm "angry," just disappointed that public tax dollars are being wasted on a message that I, and many other Americans don't necessarily agree with. I'm glad you give the NRA so much credit for protecting our 2nd Amendment rights. Without them there's a good chance the government would be coming to my house to confiscate all the guns I have in my safe. Maybe I should send a big donation?

Again you are confusing gun control and gun prohibition. You are a responsible gun owner and user. Surely you welcome measures that mean that guns are not used for criminal activities. I certainly welcome licensing, insuring and regulating who can or can't ride a motorcycle, as I get that in the wrong hands a motorbike is dangerous. I don't want to see just anyone and everyone getting on a bike and racing down a road.

I don't give the NRA any credit for protecting the 2nd amendment. They are motivated by money not liberty. They are blind to common sense.

 

[Bit of hope]

Thank you Tricia for this thread...it matters....Young people are the future, especially those who are traumatized by this kind of shootings.....we have to listen to them.