The United States of Activism

For the first time in quite a while, I am proud to be a member of the younger generation. The same generation that our elders label ‘self-involved’ and ‘lazy.’ The same generation that our parents love to call ‘incompetent’ and ‘maladjusted.’ Well, in the midst of some truly mercurial changes in the US political system, that same generation, the one that only cares about ‘likes’ on Instagram and making funny faces on Snapchat, has taught the United States, and the world, a valuable lesson: youth is no barrier to progress.
Of course, the topic of debate at the time of this writing is the shamefully loose definition of ‘gun control’ in the United States. After innumerable incidents that took the lives of thousands of innocent Americans in recent years, little to no progress has been made on the laws governing deadly weaponry in the hands of civilians. In fact, there have been more and more calls for arming more Americans at a time of unprecedented gun violence. Well, some Americans decided that they wouldn’t stand for this anymore. Enter: high schoolers.
After the most-deadly school shooting since Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, 17 people have lost their lives to yet another incidence of a ‘lone wolf’ attack committed with the help of military-grade assault weapons. To say ‘lone wolf’ is not to divert the blame onto mental illness, or to ‘soften’ the nature of the atrocities that the gunman performed, but rather to highlight the fact that this was not a terrorist attack: the gunman did not act in the name of an ideology or with a specific goal in mind, other than to inflict the most pain possible. For many advocates of gun rights and the 2nd amendment, arguments that stem from the race of the perpetrator or the actions that led up to the shooting are all too easy to make; however, in each case, the root of the problem remains unaddressed: no matter the motive or the result, the acts were only possible because of access to weapons of mass destruction. As Emma Gonzalez said in her fiery speech to lawmakers, the individuals with the power to impact change on this issue once and for all, the idea that Americans should have the right to own assault rifles, military-grade weapons, or accessories that increase the accuracy and stopping power of the aforementioned weapons is ‘BS.’
Lobbyists on both sides of the issue of gun control in America have fought for decades to change the laws governing gun ownership. Yet, it seems that few groups have made the impact that a group of aggrieved and motivated high-school students have made in the space of only a few weeks. Students from Stoneman Douglass High School, as well as their compatriots across the country, have taken a stand once and for all: students, teachers, civilians, law enforcement, and American citizens should no longer be the victims in the zero-sum game between Washington and the National Rifle Association.
It is the with the truest sense of courage that these students have taken it upon themselves to face down the individuals responsible for the perpetuation of widespread gun violence in the United States. One of the defining moments, or rather a moment that defines the issue of gun control in our nation, transpired on the stage of a CNN town hall just days after the shooting. On one side, a buttoned-up Washington insider, his coffers padded with money from NRA donations. On the other, a fierce, unintimidated, and unapologetic survivor, a high-school student who had seen first-hand the damage that is caused when weapon ownership goes unchecked.
“Senator Rubio, will you tell me you won’t be accepting a single penny from the NRA?” asked Cameron Kasky. Just like that, Kasky had stymied Rubio with a question for which no amount of rehearsed talking points, political advisement, nor life experience could have prepared him. The look on Rubio’s face was priceless.
As is typical for smooth-talking politicians, Rubio first empathized with the plight of the students, who have lost friends, teachers, and coaches to the massacre at Stoneman Douglass. However, when it came time to make a definitive statement, Rubio balked, only managing the pitiful defense that institutions, like the NRA, buy into his ‘agenda,’ not the other way around. The students seemed to adopt a cavalier spirit in the face of yet another refusal to discuss policy that could save thousands, once again, because of political money. They had heard this before. Now, their resolve has grown two-fold.
On March 24th, students across the United States will engage in a ‘walk out’ to protest the lack of progress on gun-control laws, and in honor of the 17 who lost their lives at Stoneman Douglass. Just like that, kids, some of whom aren’t old enough to vote or drive a car, willed a nation-wide movement into existence. If there is one thing that I know about advocates from my generation, it is that this fight has just begun. Washington, we’re coming.
Michael J. Schiumo
Sparta