Hottest Debate in America
As time progresses, more and more schools are under lockdown for shootings. People have rallied around these tragedies advocating for change. The Parkland, Florida school shooting appeared to emphasize the controversial issue. Although there have been other shootings, this specific school shooting sparked a great deal of disagreement about gun control. This school shooting has made an impact on many students lives all over the world. It suddenly kicked in that they needed to do something to change the outcome of what is happening; a greater fear spread throughout everyone. People are terrified of what could happen if school shootings continue to persist. The Parkland shooting stimulated the marches and walkouts that occurred in honor of those who had died. The rallies and strikes have grown into so much more than JUST supporting those who have been killed; it is now about the debate over gun control.
There are a variety of opinions on gun control ranging from full support to partial agreement to pure hatred. Some people believe that the right to have a gun is a basic human necessity because they think they need to protect themselves. Others see the situation from a different view: with the legal use of firearms, people are more likely to be able to go and commit a violent act. A revolutionary phrase has been going around, “It’s the people behind the guns, not the guns themselves.” There is plenty of opinions on gun control such as that guns are solely for killing. They argue that if this IS, in fact, right then, no one should be able to possess a firearm. Some people claim that they use guns for other uses such as hunting or as a sport. Another possible worry addresses the idea that if we don’t have weapons, how can one protect themselves? Some statistics say that often guns are not used for self-defense. The real consideration is the control of firearms becomes stricter, which does not necessarily stop people from buying guns. If someone has the purpose to go and kill people, they will most likely find a way to do it, unfortunately. There are obvious positives and negatives to all aspects of the situation.
The controversy in schools has grown to be even more significant, and schools are starting to get a little panicked. I’m sure by this time everyone has heard about the walkout in schools in support of the students killed in specifically the Florida shooting but also for all those killed. Schools have gained a substantial concern for the safety of their school and their students. The walkout caused commotion within almost every school. It was a safety hazard for students to walk out because schools could not account for those who did walk out. Students all over the world got extremely aggravated when their administration at their schools tried to restrict them by giving them a punishment for walking out. Many just ignored the discipline and continued with what they believed in: showing respect for those who had died. In addition to the walkouts, a multitude of marches spread throughout the country. Brave souls went and marcher what they believed in all over the world. Although these marches contained a majority of students, all ages were there to support their opinion on gun control or only to honor those who had died. People fled the streets in populated cities, marching to emphasize their point.
There are the few people out there that do not know about the topic, but they still have an explicit opinion. Many people get irritated when people, who don’t have background knowledge of the problem, try and have a position on the subject. The first amendment protects anyone in their right to speak freely, but some people seem to take advantage of this. Those few who do not know a single thing about the topic are causing more harm than they think they are. To have an opinion that counts, it needs to be relevant and helpful. A lot of people will say they do or do not support the control of guns and have no reason behind it. It is important to speak up for what your beliefs. Without speaking up, there is just no way that change can occur. By providing reasons and pieces of evidence makes the real difference; you can’t change a person’s mind without proof of your opinion. In the end, the most relevant concern is that no one, whether they want more strict or less strict gun control, wants more people to get hurt by a gun. The people who have the intention to kill someone have different views on all this. Aside for those few people, everyone wants to be safe. One way or another, the point of this whole debate is to get protection for the people of America.
Shelly {bean} Chummar is a senior, and this is her second year in journalism, this year as an online editor for the catalyst. Shelly loves journalism because...