Hi guys! Thank you so much for coming down here, and thank you to the administration and everyone who helped us and encouraged us to organize this event! We wanted to start off with a moment of silence for the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting last month, and for everyone who has been affected by gun violence.

—-  Moment of Silence —

Thank you. We’re just going to talk a little bit about gun violence and what we want to change as a result.

There is definitely a perception that all gun owners or all NRA members are the enemy, especially in light of recent events and debates, and that is definitely a misconception. The majority are willing to have these discussions about the laws we want passed and the actions we want taken, and it is up to us to engage in these conversations and be willing to hear all different sides.

Now, I’m sure everybody has heard the alarming statistics on mass school shootings. Nearly 90 children have been killed, or injured, by gun violence just in the first two months 2018 alone. And because of the increase in these events in the past couple of years, 70 percent of public schools now take part in active shooter drills, such as lockdowns or evacuations. To put this problem into perspective, the United States owns 48% of guns worldwide, and with that, we also own 25.2 times as many shootings than other high-income countries. Many argue that nothing can be done to drag this number down, however if we take a closer look at countries like Australia, it is clear that preventative measures truly can make a difference. After the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996, Australia established gun laws that made this massacre Australia’s only mass shooting in 22 years. We can’t help but think that a similar set of laws would help reduce the mass shootings in our country, too!

Actually, gun laws like Australia’s, where assault weapons are banned, and one must have a license and genuine reason to purchase a legal gun, have proven to be effective all around the world. Countries such as Japan and Germany have limited their mass shootings through effective law. The bottom line is, as Americans, we have normalized guns. We have started to become numb to shootings, and that’s a huge problem. As high school students, we shouldn’t have to be worried about violent behavior in our schools. And our teachers and supervisors certainly shouldn’t have to put their lives at risks by coming to work; they are here to teach us, not protect us.

And we know it doesn’t all come down to gun laws. There are other factors that drive people, and destigmatizing mental illness is one of the first steps to prevent future tragedies. We don’t talk about mental health and mental illness enough, and it is important to acknowledge that some people should not have access to guns ever because of their unstable mental state. Friends and neighbors shouldn’t have to feel responsible after a shooting for not fully reporting the shooter or preventing the tragedy, there should be more measures in place to keep these individuals from accessing guns and more measures for them to access mental health care, very underprovided in our system in comparison to other modern countries.

100% of school shooters in America are male. And that’s not an accusation or a criticism of males, but there is definitely something to that. In the last couple years especially, there has been a huge wave of feminism that encourages females to be anything they want to be, and not to feel pressured to conform to societal norms, but the guys have never gotten that same movement. There’s a certain image and set of behaviors that males, especially in high school and at younger ages, are supposed to fit into, and a lot of people who don’t fit in feel left out. 71% of school shooters felt “persecuted or bullied,” and that’s a huge problem that needs more looking into.

The biggest thing we can ask Congress for right now is updated HIPA laws and background checks that will limit who can get control of a gun. Regardless on your stance on right to own a weapon, it is only reasonable that those in good health should be able to buy one. Improved and mandatory background checks could help reduce the number of guns sold to unfit owners at gun shows, and even the local recreation store. Other restrictions could include bumping the legal age to own a weapon up to 21, which would restrict any student from being able to purchase a gun. Some things to consider as we push to reform our gun control are methods that have worked in the past, such as “justifiable reason”, or even bans on certain types of weapons and accessories. As the idea of banning assault weapons comes into play, we all have to consider if the right to own any weapon is worth the loss of our friends, families, or anyone’s life.

So you might be wondering, I know all this and that’s great, but what can I do with that? There’s more than you may think. We’ve all heard people tell us before to contact your reps, but I have a feeling not many of us have actually done it. If you’re under 18, it’s the biggest way you can make your voice matter to them. If you’re already 18 or almost there, make sure you register to vote as soon as you can so that you can make a difference on these issues. Do your research and stay informed on the issues that matter to you, and help to make sure people don’t lose focus on gun control when it starts to fade out from the media.

Thanks for coming, even though our walkout may be small, the collective of walkouts nationwide has a big impact.