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The statement that walkouts will help accomplish the goal to ¨demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship¨ is partially true. These national walkouts across the country´s high schools are very important and are only the beginning of what we need to accomplish as a society. According to the Elite Daily, each minute in the 17-minute protest ¨represents a life that was lost in the shooting that inspired the walkout. During the shooting, which happened at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, 14 students and three staff members were killed.¨
I think the purpose and the goals of these walkouts need to shift. Let us honor those 17 minutes for the people who lost their lives. Let us stand together as a chain of unity against violence. In America, it is clear that the way we handle those with mental illness needs to change, and schools need to take more responsibility for their students. Gun control is definitely a start to the change that needs to occur within the country we live, but it is only a small piece to the puzzle. These walkouts allow our generation to exercise our rights and allow us to feel heard. It aids in the accomplishment of the goal to pass legislation, but true change will only come when the bright minds of generations in high school enter the world and implement it.
The term ¨keep us safe from gun violence¨ in various societal establishments is an important goal to achieve, but the elements that go into making that a possibility reaches far beyond what Congress can do; a cultural and societal revolution is only in the hands of the people. Until then, let us continue to walk and stand together to honor the lives that were lost.
