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National Walkout Day: A potential path to walk upon toward safety
Opinion
TECHNICIAN
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PAGE 6 • MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018
National Walkout Day: A potential path to walk upon toward safety
Friday will mark the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. As a recent Technician news article noted, NC State students will walk out of class at 10 a.m. to stand in the Court of North Carolina in solidarity with the victims and survivors of numerous other school shootings. The protest to make a call for gun reform is being organized by Jena Phillips, a second-year studying political science, since she and her peers do not feel safe at school.
These students are not alone. Just last night, a friend of mine was recounting something that had happened in one of his lectures. A fellow classmate accidentally dropped their laptop on the floor, and the sound echoed throughout the otherwise quiet room. My friend, along with several other students, was startled since the noise uncannily resembled that of a gunshot being fired. It’s crazy how the first thought running through their minds was an active shooter.
As I wrote in a column after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February, gun reform and stricter ownership laws are needed, but it’s taking a surprisingly long time for the nation to prioritize lives over the right to own guns. Large-scale walkouts are probably what we need to start getting across the sheer magnitude of the problem. Students have begun movements throughout schools and cities all around the United States to call for restrictions on gun access.
On March 14, one month after the Parkland shooting, thousands of students walked out of class to protest gun violence. At the March for Our Lives rally, students in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia walked up to the streets in front of the Capitol to make their voice heard to the lawmakers.
Originally and until not too long ago, I was convinced that mere walkouts would not do anything to change policies that are as good as set in stone, in agreement with a fellow columnist. All law enforcement would need to do was endure a couple of hours of chanting slogans, and they could simply go on with their ways. In fact, less than a week after the Stoneman Douglas
shooting, the Florida House voted down a motion to take up a bill that would ban assault rifles. However, this incident seems to have been the last straw and has stirred up an untamable rage within teenagers who Shivani Shirolkar won’t back down until something is done about a problem that has been prevalent for a long time. In part because students Staff Columnist wouldn’t accept inaction by their legislators, Florida eventually passed a significant gun control law in early March. As of now, public marches, such as the one in Washington, seem to be the only way for thousands of people to directly communicate with those in charge and get things moving, so to speak. Protests and public dissent have the power to put social pressure on government officials. They give large groups the opportunity to take part in an issue that’s collectively impacting them and actively take a stance. The more they happen, the more they are talked about and the harder they are to ignore. Since the Parkland shooting has exhausted the patience of many, walkouts and marches related to gun reform are unlikely to fade away in the near future, and so they have the ability to send an urgent message to propel the rest of the population. Thus, the higher the number of NC State students to walk out on Friday, the more the impact the movement will have. Phillips mentioned another reason to organize the walkout was to increase awareness on how to react in the case of a shooter. Students are advised to move away from the shooting and to a safe location as soon as possible. Hiding or taking shelter is also a means to protect yourself. However, all of this is certainly easier said than done. It makes more sense to avoid an active shooter situation altogether rather than escaping an ongoing one. While it won’t solve the root problem, the walkout is a step in the right direction and will get more students involved in this matter. Students at NC State will walk to the Court of North Carolina, where they will sit in protest for approximately one hour. Taking part in the march is a sign that you’re still angry about the large number of shootings that have taken place, and you haven’t just accepted that this is how it is and will continue to be.
Although it will take place two years from now, the 2020 census has already been marked by controversy, specifically over its addition of a question about citizenship. Multiple cities and states, including North Carolina, are joining together to sue the Census Bureau and Commerce Department in order to remove the question from the 2020 census. The controversial question reads as follows: “Is this person a citizen of the United States?”
The participant of the census has a total of five options to answer this question. There are four “yes” answers including “born in the United States,” “born in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Northern Marianas,” “born abroad of U.S. citizen parent or parents” and “U.S. citizen by naturalization.” There is only one “no” answer which reads, “not a U.S. citizen.”
There have been many arguments that the inclusion of this question is unconstitutional, purposefully intimidating and discriminatory. After listening to these arguments I think that many of these critiques seem to be based on incomplete knowledge of the census’s purpose and history. This debate over the citizenship question is unnecessary, and we might learn more about our country’s demographics if the question is included in the 2020 census.
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to implement the census in “such manner as they shall by Law direct” every ten years. Its purpose is not only to take count of Americans, but it is also for the purpose of reallocating funds for communities and adjusting the seats in the House of Representatives.
The Census Bureau is then granted the power to add, delete or adjust questions to the census after going through an extensive process that takes years to complete. There is also a common belief that the citizenship question has not been seen since 1950; however, I researched for myself and realized that this widely cited argument is not the full truth.
Beginning in 1970, there have been two forms that the Census Bureau releases to the public — a long form and a short form. The long form is released to one out of six households, while the short form is meant to be completed by all remaining households, and the citizenship question has been seen on the long-form census, but not the short form. The citizenship question has not been asked to all American households since 1950.
However, the long form of the census still had the question. Even as recent as 2000, the citizenship question has been present. The citizenship question was not included in the 2010 census simply because there was no long-form version. Since the question has been seen on our census Sarah Pohlman Staff Columnist multiple times since its creation, why are we debating its appearance on the 2020 version? There is also no need for fear for citizens or noncitizens to respond to the survey since the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ information with anyone or any agency. According to the United States Census Bureau, “by law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone — not the IRS, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not with any other government agency.” North Carolina is home to many immigrants, with 7.7 percent of our population being foreign born, so this issue has a significant bearing on our state. But whether you are a citizen or noncitizen, the government cannot use your information for any other purpose than the census. The inclusion of this question will not harm its respondents, no matter their citizenship status. Finally, the census is also an extremely useful tool to see how our country has changed, and the Census Bureau has cited this as their reasoning for including the citizenship question on the short-form of the 2020 census. The Census Bureau says that “a question about a person’s citizenship is used to create statistics about citizen and noncitizen populations.” During the last couple decades our country’s demographics have changed, as have those of our state, and the data gained from the census can show these trends. After the results of the census, federal funds can be allocated to the respective groups, communities and school districts that need them most. Gathering the number of noncitizens in a population could actually create the opportunity for funds to be granted to create programs and services to help noncitizens. Our state plans to go through with its lawsuit, but the lawsuit seems to be a waste of time and resources. If the respondents’ privacy is legally maintained, the question has been around for years and we can gather useful statistics, why is North Carolina fighting the question from being implemented? It will be interesting to see if the question will or will not appear on the 2020 census. However, no matter the outcome, it is necessary to know the entire truth of what the inclusion of citizenship question entails before deciding if you believe the census’s citizenship question is inappropriate or informative.
Opinion
TECHNICIAN
PAGE 7 • MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018
A Christian view on gun control
Gun violence is a recurring tragedy — a tragedy that is continually caused by America’s personal attachment to the idea of possessing a gun. This fascination with gun ownership has placed this nation in a more dreadful position in the area of gun violence than other nations. Vox has reported that America has way more gun deaths than other developed nations, and has far higher levels of gun ownership than any other country in the world.
The solution to gun violence is still being argued; however, when social issues of this significance are being discussed, faith is not a part of the discourse, even though it is integral to many individuals’ worldviews.
America is, purely demographically speaking, a majority Christian nation, with the religious landscape survey by the Pew Research Center reporting that 70.6 percent of Americans identify as Christians. According to Pack Poll, 52 percent of NC State students identify as Christians — lower than the national average but still the majority religion on campus.
Christianity is the religion I believe in, and, as a Christian, when looking at the devotion to guns Americans have, I cannot help but think of the second commandment which reads, “You shall not make for yourself an idol.”
Gun ownership has become so vital for some people that owning a piece of metal is tied to the idea of having true freedom. Pew Research Center has found that for most gun owners, owning a firearm is tied to their sense of personal freedom. As a Christian, freedom for me does not come from a piece of metal but from my belief in Jesus Christ as my savior, which should also be true for those who are pro-gun advocates and identify as Christian.
Guns have been idolized to such a degree that some Christians, judging by the numbers, do not see how their idolization and attachment to guns has made them blind to the real human suffering surrounding gun violence, something Jesus Christ would not tolerate.
Jennifer Copeland, executive director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, articulated how people of faith need to make sure material things do not come before their faith, according to a News and Observer article titled “The 2nd Commandment outweighs the 2nd Amendment, thousands of NC churches say.”
“As people of faith, we should always guard against those things that become more important to us than the God who calls us to abundant life. How much more so, should we call out the idols that hold out false promises,” Copeland said.
Any Christian must understand that material possessions are temporary; materialism can only satisfy the soul marginally. The soul, however, is eternal. When attachment to provisional possessions — whether they be guns or money — override the responsibility toward our faith, then the soul has fallen into a darkness that is overbearingly difficult to overcome.
To be clear, gun control is not just a Christian issue and there is a need for faith leaders from all spiritual walks to be heard on the issue of gun violence. Spirituality can be divisive but that is not the goal of spiritual-
ity. Real spirituality is about bringing people together through a common cause and realizing that we all, no matter our place in the world, have a common destiny. I am not alone in this view. Richard Parker is the author of “Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America.” In his Shawn op-ed, “Why Christians Must Support Gun Fredericks Control,” he reminds people of faith of our Staff Columnists shared duty to humanity. “All the people of the Abrahamic faiths share the same duty — to protect the innocent,” said Parker. “The Jewish bystander is to rescue a person in peril. Islam requires the protection of all innocent lives. I fear that if we fail in this, bulldoze our churches and let the machines of war and profit win over faith, then God will never forgive us. For that would be the worst sin of all.” We as people on this earth, but especially as people of faith, have a responsibility to one another. Without this vital realization, I fear society will continue to be cursed with tragedies such as gun violence. These wicked problems affect the spirit of the people and it is through spiritual consideration that these problems can be solved.
As Seen Around Campus
TECHNICIAN
PAGE 9 • MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018
DAVID TRACEY/TECHNICIAN Junior infielder Evan Edwards puts out a Notre Dame batter at first base on Friday at Doak Field. Edwards went 1-3 with one RBI, one run scored and one walk as the Wolfpack lost 12-8.
DAVID TRACEY/TECHNICIAN Junior outfielder Brett Kinneman takes a swing against Notre Dame on Friday at Doak Field. Kinneman went 2-6 with one run scored as the Wolfpack lost 12-8.
DAVID TRACEY/TECHNICIAN Head coach Elliott Avent shares a laugh with the umpires and Notre Dame head coach Mik Aoki before the game on Friday at Doak Field. Notre Dame won the opening game of the series 12-8.
DAVID TRACEY/TECHNICIAN Freshman pitcher Nick Swiney delivers the ball to home plate on Friday at Doak Field. Swiney gave up one hit, three earned runs, and two walks as the Wolfpack lost to Notre Dame 12-8.
