#NeverAgain?

Jonathan Gan|April 26, 2018

On February 14 2018, 19 year old Nikolas Cruz fired at the students in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. The shooting lasted for six minutes. Being one of the world’s deadliest school shootings, this tragic event reignited the gun control debate in the United States, with thousands calling for stricter gun regulations. In the aftermath of the shooting, approximately 20 survivors, most notably Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, formed the anti-gun violence group Never Again MSD.

Although they are only teenagers, this group has gained a tremendous amount of traction in gun control reform in the United States. As a result of Never Again MSD’s fight for stricter gun regulations, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was passed in Florida. Among the provisions of the law, the minimum age to purchase firearms was raised to 21, and universal background checks for gun purchases were introduced. The passing of this bill was a massive victory for Never Again MSD against the National Rifle Association (NRA), who immediately filed a lawsuit challenging the legislation.

The NRA has been an extremely influential lobbyist group in Washington, and this bill comes at an extremely fragile time for the organisation, where its stronghold in the gun control debate is gradually weakening. These teenagers have single-handedly created a movement against the long-standing institution, and inspired thousands of students nationwide to take a stand and fight for reforms that will protect them from future incidents like this.

Panther Nation interviewed English teacher Mr. Werner on his thoughts on the #Never Again movement, and Mr. Werner is in complete support of these students speaking out. He describes the survivors as game changers. “These students are using strong rhetoric and sound argumentation to push a powerful lobby like the NRA on their heels.They are doing what no adult has been able to do so far.”

Mr Duffy, who also teaches English, shares the same sentiment as Mr. Werner. “[The students] are going up against powerful, entrenched institutions and mindsets. But, I do believe they are challenging conventional norms in the pursuit of a better, safer world. I believe the youth of today need to share their voices in support of the world they want to inherit, and I am sad to see the merchants of doubt and talking heads popping up all over the media in an attempt to silence and discredit them.”

As the movement gained worldwide attention, the survivors were met with criticism and aggression from various sources, especially right wing and pro-gun groups. A doctored photo of Emma Gonzalez supposedly tearing up the Constitution made its way around the internet, in an attempt to antagonise Emma Gonzalez and defame the movement. David Hogg, being a fearless speaker wanting to force change, has been met with hostility, and was even attacked for something as trivial as his college admissions. Other criticisms include the movement’s violation of the Second Amendment, and hateful rhetoric against the survivors.

A concerned ISB student who prefers to remain anonymous supports the movement’s call to ban high capacity rifles, but is disappointed at the agenda of the March for Our Lives campaign, and the under-representation of the pro-gun argument in media today. “I feel that a lot of them [protesters] don’t have a cohesive opinion and a way to solve gun control.  Just like how a lot of conservatives don’t bother to make an informed opinion and only listen to what they want to hear, a lot of liberals do the same.” They believe that the media should create a space for legitimate pro gun arguments to be heard, instead of disrespecting and branding those who are pro gun as “child murderers”, as David Hogg has done in his previous speeches.

In order to truly find a solution that is in the best interests of the American public, both sides would have to set aside their political differences and discuss this controversial issue. While this debate is still raging in the media today, Never Again MSD offers a new voice and perspective in the gun control debate that has been long overdue, and sets America on the right track to solving its gun violence problem.