What is it?

The nationwide student walkout of March 14 holds great importance among many, and serves a strong moral purpose. Seventeen people were killed, including both students and teachers. Seventeen lives lost. Almost immediately afterwards, as an act of condolences for the people who were ripped from their families, friends, and their future, the group EMPOWER and students all over America turned their grief into advocacy and activism. These students organized multiple school-wide walkouts.

These walkouts were intended to be both a memorial and a reach of protest. They marched to honor the lives of the 17 people killed at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida, as well as to pressure Congress into passing stricter gun control laws. During their protest, participants collectively shared 17 minutes of silence to honor and remember the lives lost. Allies and victims specifically want Congress to enact the following changes:

   -Ban assault weapons

   -Require thorough background checks prior to gun sales

   -Officialize a gun violence restraining order law that would provide courts the ability to disarm people who show possible signs of violent behavior

  What is the issue?

As said by Julia Belluz, ”The problem isn’t the mental health status of Americans. It’s that our gun control laws are too lax. And until that’s fixed, guns will remain a key contributor to the death of young people.” Below is an image that is based off the statistics of the deaths of children caused by firearms from 2010 through 2016. This does not even include the results of more recent catastrophes from 2017 and 2018.

Source: PwC Health Research Institute analysis of CDC mortality data, 2010-2016

Meanwhile, the upcoming 12 causes of teen deaths add to only 1,500 combined. Among them:
   -Cancer killed 596 high schoolers in 2016;
   -Heart diseases killed 293;
   -Chronic lower respiratory diseases killed 80;
   -Influenza and pneumonia killed 54;
   -Diabetes killed 54.
That being said, guns have led to more deaths of high school aged children than the next 12 leading causes of teen deaths combined. If that sounds shocking and out of proportion, it’s because it is. This is an unrealistically pertinent and pressing topic that is just now being noticed by officials.

  Common Misconceptions

Reasonably, quite a few people worry over their rights to bear arms being revoked, but they are misled. The addressment of the current gun control laws and any adjustments made will definitely not allow officials to break into your homes and take your guns. The goal of passing these laws ultimately aim to protect the public from potential threats or dangers.