Click here: Emails From High School Students Who Oppose Massive Gun Control Walkout
From a high school junior today: “honestly it’s like the Women’s March. There is no single consolidated argument, just a loose collection of rants that obscure the main point).”
From a 16-year-old high school girl: “I was planning on not participating in the walkout. I do not see the point in leaving class to simply walk outside, stand and talk with peers for 17 minutes, and return to class. The act of walking out of class to ‘protest school violence’ does not seem to have a target audience, even though they may have a news crew, it is doubtful that the students in Florida will see the actions of our school’s walkout as a stand with solidarity. I also support the 2nd Amendment and see this walkout as another opportunity for students and their parents to attack that amendment and my support of gun control…I do see that my refusal to participate may be seen as unsympathetic or cruel. My brother, who is a freshman, is being pressured in class to participate.”
From a 17-year-old high school student: “tomorrow my school is having a walkout at 10:00 ‘for the 17 students who were killed in the Parkland, Fl shooting.’ The walkout, however, here at my school, is not really about that. It is being promoted by an anti-gun/leftist political agenda that I just don’t and can’t support, especially using the 17 kids that were MY AGE as a platform. I was wondering what you would say to people who want to call me ‘insensitive’ and ‘a terrible person.’”
From another 17-year-old high school student: “The reason I am emailing is because my school is having a walkout on March 14th. They say in an email that this walkout is to advocate for gun reform but they also say that we are walking to honor the victims of the parkland massacre. I am in favor of walking to honor the victims, but not in favor of promoting gun reform. I feel like I have to choose between going against my political values or looking like a bad person. I need help. What do I do?”
From another high schooler: “My high school is participating in the walkout on Wednesday, and I am unsure what to do. I am very against gun control and don’t want to protest congress for something they are doing right, if that makes sense. However, I don’t want to be singled out by students as someone who ‘doesn’t care about the students who died.’ Should I participate and conform to avoid humiliation and honor the students or should I remain in class alone? I don’t know if the walkout is more about gun control or honoring the students.”
From a 16-year-old high schooler today: “It is ignoring the fact that most gun violence is against blacks with handguns. Ignoring that fact is by definition racist. A nation-wide walk out for a majority white 1 percent is real white privilege and ignorant of the real problem, most gun violence is against blacks with handguns, not assault weapons, and ignoring that would from its core be racist and ignorant.”
From a high school senior: “Please let me start by saying that I respect the Left’s position on the walkout tomorrow, but I do not agree with their solution. I have decided to organize my own walk out to push Right wing beliefs on how to stop school violence…Respect other’s opinions and others will respect yours. ‘Here to save lives. Pro-Second amendment.’”