In the wake of tragedy, what you can do (Opinion)
6 ways you can respond to gun violence
February 21, 2018
With the lives of 17 students and faculty members taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School in Florida this past week, many students on our own campus are feeling disillusioned with gun violence. Here’s a list of things that you can do to help.
1. Wear orange. Orange is the color nationally worn in solidarity with gun control. Show support for the movement by wearing orange bandanas or armbands to school. (Read up on the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines for some history on political protests in schools.)
2. Walk for a cause. March for Our Lives is a national rally intended to demand stricter gun regulations as well as heightened school safety measures. Events have been organized in both Dallas and Fort Worth.
3. Walk Out. While the National School Walkout sponsored by the Women’s March has been scheduled for March 14, Carroll students will unfortunately still be on spring break. As an alternative, several Southlake students have self-designated March 8 as an alternative. Join your peers in a school-wide walkout for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. to honor the generation we’ve lost to gun violence in schools. As a first step, know your rights.
4. Donate. Organizations like Everytown and The Brady Campaign accept donations to counter gun violence. Anti-gun control advocates have successfully lobbied against the passage of bills that work to expand on safety measures such as universal background checks, despite 97% of Americans supporting such a regulation. Every dollar counts.
5. Make your voice heard. Sign petitions to demand for a change. Locate the contact information of our senators to demand laws that are intended to protect us. Write the governor to express your opinions. Do whatever you can to let our legislators know that we are in need of a change.
6. Register to vote. The 2018 midterms are coming up just this November, and many
Carroll students will be of voting age. If you’ll be 18 by Election Day (Nov. 6), register to vote and elect the lawmakers that you want to shape the future of our country.