Earlier this week, a former student walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and killed 17 of his former classmates and teachers.
It was the 18th school shooting in the United States this year alone.
Now American high school students have had enough and they’re ready to take action.
LISTEN: Why are US gun laws unchanging, despite massacre after massacre? We discuss, on Tell Me It’s Going To Be OK.
They’re demanding their congressmen and women finally address the country’s lax gun laws. They believe they have the right to attend school safe in the knowledge they will live through the day. They want clear and definitive action and they want it now.
So on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine School Shooting, US school students are planning to walk out of school. They will take to the streets, and not return to their classrooms until Congress updates the country’s gun laws.
The movement began after educational psychologist, David C. Berliner, suggested teachers should agree on the gun legislation they want and take it to Congress. If it’s not accepted, Berliner explained in a blog post, they should walk out of school.
“Our country’s legislators, and the voters who send them to make our laws, can then choose: Teachers and (most) parents for sane gun laws, or, the NRA that provides our legislators money to avoid making the laws that could reduce the carnage we see too frequently.
“Almost all of America’s three million teachers — nurturers and guardians of our youth — want sensible gun laws. They deserve that. But they have to be ready to exert the power they have by walking out of their schools if they do not get what they want.”
Berliner advised teachers to start meeting now to write model legislation and submit it to state and federal legislators.
The movement quickly gained traction and has resulted in plans for a National Walk Out Day on April 20.
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Top Comments
Let me get this straight. The conspiracy theory that the powerful gun lobby, with deep pockets, buys gongress votes is real but any other big and powerful lobby group, also with deep pockets, buying a fast track to approved status of safety is just fantasy? And that's because big and powerful organisations would never put the health, safety, and lives of our children at risk...
Why not just post armed security guards at the entrance, you know, how they do at the airports...I mean, there hasn't been another 911 since they upped the anti on security - WITH GUNS!
Drug overdoses now kill more Americans than guns:
https://www.cbsnews.com/new...
Teachers writing a draft legislation is a genius idea.. Great lessons right there for their students too in the workings of a democracy..! So exciting to see this play out.. Such a shame it takes an act so absolutely dreadful to trigger this, however if something like this comes out of it .... Very emotional towatch strength of this students' convictions in action..