Nationwide protests have erupted since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, that took the lives of 17 students and faculty. Among the protests and picketing have been national school walk outs, where students and teachers alike have walked out of their school in an attempt to pressure politicians to instate stricter gun laws, including supporting the following policies: “Banning Assault Weapons & High Capacity Magazines,” “Expanding Background Checks to All Gun Sales,” “Passing Gun Violence Restraining Order Law,” and to “Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act.”
However, new protests have began springing up around the country. They are being conducted in a similar fashion as the “Banning Assault Weapons” crowd, but instead of anti-NRA and anti-AR-15 pickets, they are toting “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Thin Blue Line” flags.
On Wednesday, Apr. 4, students from Woodland Park High School near Colorado Springs participated in such a walk out. As the nationwide walkouts sought to change the minds of politicians and their efforts toward tighter gun control, students, parents and faculty alike at Woodland Park High School sought the opposite. According to local news, those who organized the walkout were surprised at how many people turned up.
On Friday, March 30, approximately 75 students from Rockledge High School, Florida, had a walkout in the same spirit; Rockledge High is about 2.5 hours north of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They had signs and slogans, and one t-shirt said that, “My rights don’t end where your feelings begin.” More common phrases like “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” were also seen. One student felt that, amidst all of these walkouts, protests and marches (like the March for Our Lives protest), the pro-2nd amendment crowd was not being adequately heard. Chloe Deaton, a student involved with Rockledge’s Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Academy, told FOX News that, “Personally, I don’t believe that gun control’s the best idea. Everyone has the right to have their own opinion and I believe that our right should have just been expressed and that’s what we wanted to do.”
Many have expressed similar frustrations — that pro-2nd amendment groups have not been adequately represented in the media. Some of this is likely due to the relatively small numbers of protesters compared to the mass walkouts that involved thousands upon thousands of people, and the fact that the Rockledge High School walkout, for example, was only 20 minutes long and the Woodland Park High School walkout was only 30 minutes long. However, these pro-2nd amendment walkouts have been growing in frequency, and the country watches to see if they grow in size, change direction to something non-protest, or simply fade away entirely.
Featured image: Levi Rodas, 16, from Orem High School, is shown during a pro-gun march designed by organizers to advocate for fortified schools and more armed teachers Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Salt Lake City. Hundreds of people were expected to march to the Capitol in separate protests aimed at improving school safety, in very different ways. Pro-gun marchers will advocate Saturday for fortified schools and more armed teachers, while Utah students will take to the street as part of rallies being held around the country to urge lawmakers to pass gun regulations. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Nationwide protests have erupted since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, that took the lives of 17 students and faculty. Among the protests and picketing have been national school walk outs, where students and teachers alike have walked out of their school in an attempt to pressure politicians to instate stricter gun laws, including supporting the following policies: “Banning Assault Weapons & High Capacity Magazines,” “Expanding Background Checks to All Gun Sales,” “Passing Gun Violence Restraining Order Law,” and to “Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act.”
However, new protests have began springing up around the country. They are being conducted in a similar fashion as the “Banning Assault Weapons” crowd, but instead of anti-NRA and anti-AR-15 pickets, they are toting “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Thin Blue Line” flags.
On Wednesday, Apr. 4, students from Woodland Park High School near Colorado Springs participated in such a walk out. As the nationwide walkouts sought to change the minds of politicians and their efforts toward tighter gun control, students, parents and faculty alike at Woodland Park High School sought the opposite. According to local news, those who organized the walkout were surprised at how many people turned up.
On Friday, March 30, approximately 75 students from Rockledge High School, Florida, had a walkout in the same spirit; Rockledge High is about 2.5 hours north of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They had signs and slogans, and one t-shirt said that, “My rights don’t end where your feelings begin.” More common phrases like “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” were also seen. One student felt that, amidst all of these walkouts, protests and marches (like the March for Our Lives protest), the pro-2nd amendment crowd was not being adequately heard. Chloe Deaton, a student involved with Rockledge’s Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Academy, told FOX News that, “Personally, I don’t believe that gun control’s the best idea. Everyone has the right to have their own opinion and I believe that our right should have just been expressed and that’s what we wanted to do.”
Many have expressed similar frustrations — that pro-2nd amendment groups have not been adequately represented in the media. Some of this is likely due to the relatively small numbers of protesters compared to the mass walkouts that involved thousands upon thousands of people, and the fact that the Rockledge High School walkout, for example, was only 20 minutes long and the Woodland Park High School walkout was only 30 minutes long. However, these pro-2nd amendment walkouts have been growing in frequency, and the country watches to see if they grow in size, change direction to something non-protest, or simply fade away entirely.
Featured image: Levi Rodas, 16, from Orem High School, is shown during a pro-gun march designed by organizers to advocate for fortified schools and more armed teachers Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Salt Lake City. Hundreds of people were expected to march to the Capitol in separate protests aimed at improving school safety, in very different ways. Pro-gun marchers will advocate Saturday for fortified schools and more armed teachers, while Utah students will take to the street as part of rallies being held around the country to urge lawmakers to pass gun regulations. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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