March for Our Lives Textbook Chapter

The 2018 March for Our Lives The Second Amendment In 1789, every state in the Union voted to ratify the ​Constitution​, which is made up of seven articles that laid out the structure of the government and ten amendments, which together are called ​The Bill of Rights​. The Bill of Rights was added after many states were worried that the constitution only set up governmental powers, and did not address the powers of the people. After the long and deadly Revolutionary War, the newly-made Americans were intent on making sure that the fight was worth it and that they had guaranteed basic rights that were not available under British control. Thus, the Bill of Rights was written, and, after the first amendment protected freedom of speech, the second amendment was written which protected the right to bear arms.

“A well regulated ​Militia​, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

This single sentence has been a source of debate and tension since it was written, and many issues have arisen since then. Many arguments have been about the extent of the meaning, as some of the language can be vague. Throughout this chapter, we will discuss these arguments and their historical and recent impacts.

A History of School Shootings in the United States School shootings before 1960 occurred much less often, with just twenty-five occurring in fifty years. Since the University of Texas shooting of 1966, mass shootings have become much more common, averaging about 3.05 per year. Many states and cities have attempted to pass more strict gun control laws, but have been struck down by the ​Supreme Court​. A landmark decision was made by the Supreme Court in 2010, during the case of McDonald v. The City of Chicago. Chicago resident, Otis McDonald legally owned several shotguns, as he was an experienced hunter, but wanted to buy and register a handgun for his personal protection. Because of a 1982 Chicago ban on handguns, he was not able to legally buy a handgun and sued the city. After the ban was upheld in the 7th Circuit Court, McDonald appealed and the case went to the Supreme Court. The handgun ban was found unconstitutional due to the 2nd Amendment, as were many other gun laws, including a ban on concealed carry licenses and strict ​background checks​.

Grabow, Chip and Lisa Rose, “School Shootings in the US Compared.” 18 May 2018.

Guns Deaths per 100,000 People (MDS) NPR, 2019.

This graph shows the differences in gun deaths compared to the United States. Both the United Kingdom and Japan have total bans on all guns for private citizens and have not had any mass shootings since 1996 and 2001, respectively. There are many common misconceptions about the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, as they are usually seen as extremely violent and dangerous places, and yet, as you can see, both Afghanistan and Burkina Faso, which are poor and developing countries, have fewer gun deaths than the United States.

Origins of the March For Our Lives On February 14, 2018, a ​mass shooting​ occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and staff were killed and 17 were injured. Since 1970, there have been 1,300 school shootings in the United States, with a death toll of more than 668 people. The year with the highest body count was 2018, with 51 students, staff and parents killed. Once again, as with most other similar events, gun control was brought to the forefront of the national discussion. The difference this time was who was leading the discussion. Students who survived the shooting became the faces of a national movement for gun control, starting the popular hashtags #NeverAgain, and #EnoughIsEnough, making television appearances, debating politicians, and sharing their stories.

A Voice of the Movement ​Emma Gonzalez A survivor of the 2018 shooting at Stoneman Douglas, Emma Gonzalez has since become one of the most recognizable speakers on gun control. She co-founded the organization Never Again with other students from her high school and has met with countless politicians, giving powerful personal accounts of her experiences with gun violence. She was vital in the planning of the March 14, 2018, March for Our Lives, and gave a meaningful and emotional speech in which she held a six-minute moment of silence, the amount of time it took for seventeen of her classmates to be killed.

Six minutes, and about 20 seconds. In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 more were injured, and everyone, absolutely everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered. Everyone who was there understands.

Everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands. For us, long, tearful, chaotic hours in the scorching afternoon sun were spent not knowing.

No one understood the extent of what had happened. No one could believe that there were bodies in that building waiting to be identified for over a day. No one knew that the people who were missing had stopped breathing long before any of us had even known that a code red had been called. No one could comprehend the devastating aftermath, or how far this would reach, or where this would go.

For those who still can't comprehend, because they refuse to, I'll tell you where it went. Six feet into the ground, six feet deep. Six minutes and 20 seconds with an AR-15, and my friend Carmen would never complain to me about piano practice. Aaron Feis would never call Kyra "miss sunshine," Alex Schachter would never walk into school with his brother Ryan, Scott Beigel would never joke around with Cameron at camp, Helena Ramsay would never hang around after school with Max, Gina Montalto would never wave to her friend Liam at lunch, Joaquin Oliver would never play basketball with Sam or Dylan. Alaina Petty would never, Cara Loughren would never, Chris Hixon would never, Luke Hoyer would never, Martin Duque Anguiano would never, Peter Wang would never, Alyssa Alhadeff would never, Jamie Guttenberg would never, Jamie Pollack would never.

On December 18, 2018, thanks to her and her fellow activists’ work, the federal government banned ​bump stocks,​ one of which was used at the Parkland shooting. She continues to push for more gun control, including the banning of ​AR-15s​ , thorough background checks, an end to the ​gun show loophole,​ and banning military grade weapons for citizens.

The March Though the main march took place in Washington, DC, on the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas, there were fifteen other sister marches across the country, totaling more than 800,000 participants nationally. It has been counted as the largest youth protest since the National Vietnam protest.

There were more than twenty speakers, all nineteen years old and under, with the youngest speaker at just eleven. A national poll found that 78% of Americans were in favor of the march, and 75% of Americans want more gun control, specifically strict background checks. The march lasted for about four hours and included performances from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Common, Ben Platt, Vic Mensa, Andra Day, and Demi Lovato. The march was completely organized by people under twenty years old, and one of the themes of the event was ‘Vote them Out,’ encouraging young voters to exercise their rights and to get rid of Pro-​NRA​ candidates.

Vocabulary The Constitution: T ​ he founding document of the United States, establishes the basis of our government structure and the powers of each governmental unit The Bill of Rights: T ​ he first ten amendments of the Constitution which establish the basic given rights of all American citizens Militia: ​A military force made up of private citizens that is used as a supplemental fighting force to the established military Mass Shooting: ​A shooting where five or more people are killed or injured at one time; usually committed by three or fewer shooters Supreme Court: T ​ he highest court of the United States which rules based on the Constitution; made up of nine judges appointed by the president Background Check:​ A system which runs your name, and sometimes your fingerprints, DNA, or Social Security Number against a government crime database Bump Stocks: A ​ n add-on to semi-automatic weapons which increases the rate of fire and allows the user to rapid-fire shoot while holding down the trigger AR-15: ​The most common weapon used in mass shootings; a military-grade gun which fires at about 45 rounds per minute Gun Show Loophole: A ​ common issue brought up with gun control, the gun show loophole is a law that allows people to purchase firearms at gun shows with no background check and at lower prices The NRA: T ​ he National Rifle Association, an outspoken group against gun control

A First-Hand Account Why did you decide to go on the trip to the March for Our Lives?

I thought it was important for us to speak out against what was happening because it could have just as easily been us.

Do you have any other experience with protesting for gun control?

When I was young, like 8 years old, I talked to a reporter from the Chicago Tribune because there was a shooting right outside my house. I explained that I was playing with my friend and we heard the shot and we thought it was fireworks, but we found out later that someone had been killed. I told the reporter that I thought it was unfair because they [the police] let the man die drowning in his own blood because he was part of a gang. And that’s when I realized that no one, or at least, the government, was not going to help us and guns never help anybody.

What are some of the biggest issues in the US with regards to guns?

The number of school shootings. Gun laws to buy a gun are way too lenient I think, at the very least, there should be a background check and, if you want to go very tight-knit, I think there should be mental illness checks. You have to make guns cost more and less accessible.

What were some of the feelings that you experienced during the march?

I was overwhelmed with, first of all, the passion that everyone had, and second of all, the sadness and the terror and I’m a really empathetic person, and I just felt horrible. But that's just what made being there all the more important.

If you could automatically pass any law relating to guns, what would you do?

Background and mental health checks before you buy a gun. And anyone who has a gun already to be screened for mental health and background checks.

Bibliography Aizenman, Nurith. “Deaths From Gun Violence: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World.” NPR, National Public Radio, 9 Nov. 2018.

Berkowitz, Bonnie, et al. “The Terrible Numbers that grow with each Mass Shooting.” The Washington Post, The Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2019.

Lopez, German. “It’s official: March for Our Lives was one of the biggest youth protests since the Vietnam War.” Vox, Vox Media, 26 Mar. 2016.

“Speakers Announced For The "March For Our Lives" Rally In Washington, D.C. On Saturday, March 24th.” 42 West, PR News Wire, 24 Mar. 2018.

Tanaka, Jennifer. “On Otis McDonald and his lawsuit challenging Chicago’s 1982 handgun ban.” Chicago Magazine Politics & City Life, Chicago Magazine, 30 Dec. 2009.