Wake up! Not everyone agrees with the anti-gun movement, and here’s an example of how forcing that view creates that much more division. MORE
SOURCE: Arkansas Online
By CAROLYN THOMPSON and MICHAEL MELIA The Associated Press
As she addressed the crowd during the walkout at her Idaho high school, Kylee Denny faced heckles and name-calling from a group of students carrying American flags, she said. The counterprotesters included many familiar faces, including her boyfriend’s stepbrother.
To avoid making a difficult situation worse, Denny’s boyfriend stayed in class during the rally at Hillcrest High School in Idaho Falls, which was part of Wednesday’s national school walkout.
“I’m dating his stepbrother, which is really incredibly awkward and it’s very tense because he was being so hostile about losing respect for me because I was walking out,” said Denny, a 17-year-old junior who helped organize the protest.
The walkouts to protest gun violence that mobilized students across the country also created tensions in hallways and classrooms as a new generation was thrust into the debate over guns. While those calling for new restrictions stood in the spotlight, the surge of youth activism has exposed sharp differences of opinion.
Administrators and student leaders are also sorting through the fallout as some schools hand out discipline for those who defied school instructions and participated in the walkouts exactly one month after the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
In some cases, personal relationships have been strained.
Ryler Hanosky said he was disappointed that his stepbrother, Denny’s boyfriend, did not join the counterprotest.
“He’s a hunter just like me. He likes his guns,” Hanosky said. “I told him, ‘You need to come with us,’ and he’s like, ‘No I’m just going to stay out of it.’ It kind of makes me mad a little bit.”
The rally Denny helped organize was supposed to be for school safety, not gun restrictions, she said, but some misunderstood, becoming angry and calling names.
“You’re just like, ooh, wow, OK, I have second period with you and I don’t want you to think I’m trying to destroy your constitutional rights,” she said.
In Woodbury, Conn., about 75 students walked out of class Wednesday at the 750-student Nonnewaug High School, meeting in the auditorium before walking outside. They were followed by another group of about a dozen counterdemonstrators, including some who chanted, “NRA is the only way!”
One student, Jess Dooley, 16, said the school in rural western Connecticut is small enough for her to know nearly everyone, but that she did not feel comfortable joining the walkout because of comments by gun-rights supporters. Tensions already had been high since the Parkland shooting as debate grew vehement over arming teachers, school shootings and gun control.
“Everybody knows how everyone feels about it,” she said.
The day after the walkout, Dooley said, her civics teacher defused some tension by letting students take turns sharing their opinions on the walkout.
Organizers of the national walkouts called for such measures as tighter background checks on gun purchases and a ban on weapons like the one used in the Florida shooting. A protest against gun violence is also scheduled in Washington on Saturday , and another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High shooting in Colorado.
In last week’s walkouts, some students tried to steer clear of politics entirely, including Jacob Shoemaker, a senior at Hilliard High School in Ohio, who was suspended a day for not following instructions because he stayed in a classroom instead of joining protests or the alternative, a study hall. School, he said, isn’t the place for politics, and he wasn’t taking sides.
In Pennsylvania, a superintendent issued detentions to 225 Pennridge High School students who walked out Wednesday instead of attending an assembly honoring the Parkland victims.
Elsewhere, scuffles broke out between walkout participants and students who had other ideas for how to spend the time. At Blythewood High School in South Carolina, students were packed together in a school atrium when some began talking during the moment of silence for the Parkland victims. Shoving broke out as some called for quiet.
“These kids, who were probably younger, they weren’t against the protests,” said Andrew Kilgore, an 18-year-old senior who said students would be better organized for the next demonstration. “They were just being disruptive. They wanted a reason to get out of class.”
Kilgore is correct it is an excuse for them to get out of school. They are children baby’s just barley out of diapers california have the strictest gun laws in the nation and there is still mass shooting . If these baby’s were protesting the right thing like they new what the problem was i would be for they. the problem is people are not doing their jobs there was signs before the shootings that was not taken serious in all the mass shooting. The parents need to do their jobs the doctors need to do their jobs the law enforcement need to do their jobs by reporting problems before they happen.
The scary thing is that most of these kids are surrounded all day by Leftists who don’t want them to be able to think. They are taught WHAT to think, and now HOW to think. A very simple way to put it to them would be: Is it right to demonize an entire population for the acts of one person? Is it all about “Saving one life!” If yes …. then are you willing to give up your cell phones because someone used one while driving and killed an innocent person? Are you willing to give up your car because someone got drunk and killed an innocent person? Are you willing to give up your baseball bats, hammers, axes, screwdrivers and kitchen knives because someone used one to kill someone?
The mind-numbingly stupid argument that ALL guns should be confiscated/restricted because of the actions of ONE of a hundred million gun owners is beyond any normal person’s logical comprehension. Isn’t it “interesting” that Liberals fight tooth and nail to keep kids MORE at risk (ex: not arming school personnel) while at the same time indoctrinating them to be terrified of guns with ridiculous Active Shooter drills? The Left looooves them a good ol’ mass-shooting (except when a CCI user shuts it down, of course). Innocent blood is the fuel for their political agenda. If schools and other areas were actually made safer, they wouldn’t have the blood-fuel they need for their ultimate goal of total disarming of the population.
Joe-Your apparent anger towards anyone not thinking and acting the way you do has clouded your ability to rationalize the topic and contribute common sense solutions with the goal of protecting society.
Joe,
your comments were well put and we agree with you. Thanks for your well written response!
OK Lars, you are such a genius what common sense solution, that will work, do you have.
Stricter regulations or elimination of firearms is not going to protect society from itself. Parents need to resume parenting, children should be taught responsibility and accountability for their actions. Doctors should stop prescribing drugs to sedate young people to make them more manageable so parents don’t have to deal with them. And I have to agree with Joe, allow the next generation to think for themselves, stop trying to indoctrinate them, educate them instead.
I agree with it being society’s fault. We need leaders to step up and educate this new generation. I live in Oregon and not only has Church groups started an Initiative to ban many types of guns and magazines, but they are having the children gather signatures to get it on the Ballot. Scary times.
Lars: Does that concept of clouded thinking apply to the Liberal Progressive Socialists who try to cram the “Assault Weapons” ban program on everyone because they refuse to accept the “common sense” reality that an inanimate inert object cannot in and of itself be responsible for discharging a bullet??
Lars, you think that you can make guns illegal or ban, you can’t even get the drugs off the streets. If you want to be a victim, great more power to you. I will not be! Period
I live on the near the Mexico border and there Gun laws are quite strict and guess what, every mexican I know has a firearm. It will never work!
Joe, I couldn’t agree more.
As a middle school social studies teacher, we discuss many societal issues. While so many people are willing to sacrifice our second amendment rights for the delusion of safety, the narrow-minded left is unwilling to consider all the factors that have led to these heinous acts.
Semi-autos have been in existence for around a hundred years, and the AR platform was introduced to the civilian market in 1965, as the SP1. So for the last 35 years of the 20th century, no one used an AR for mass murder, therefore it is obvious that our societal norms have changed. Instead of banning the right to bear arms, we should be examining why these perverts feel justified in murder as a solution to their miserable lives. Maybe it is caused by bullying, or possibly the decline of the traditional family unit, and hence role models and moral guidance. Whatever the cause, our focus should be on determining what is driving these insane actions.
This article seems to be very left leaning showing only those that support the 2A as the only ones being violent. What about the young man in Oklahoma that was beaten severely for not participating in the protests. Or the protest in I believe VA that showed the students ripping down the flag. Or the students in another state running thru a Walmart destroying it during this walk out.
When the question of protecting society comes to the surface, beware of who is asking and why. Want to save lives across all boundaries of our society. Limit the speed of all vehicles to 75 period. No exceptions. Watch what happens. Now that is sensible. I’m sure Bloomberg is interested in that?
This whole thing just makes me sick!
These kids these days are the most arrogant , disrespectful, vain, disgusting , humans I have seen to this date. You may think I live in some really bad place but I don’t and I see theses kids and talk to them everyday because of my work. The disrespect that these kids show is unbelievable . The way young men treat young girls is horrible.
AND IM SUPOSSED TO LISTEN TO TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT MY 2ND AMENMENT RIGHT, HA , stop smoking so much pot! The day that a teenage kid doesn’t try to pull me over to start a fight with me because I cut him off while driving. I will listen to these punks. All you Gun grabbing peeps have done only one thing, is armed everyone I know now. People are so scared you will take away the second amendment and they won’t be able to defend there family or friends that they have maxed out there credit cards in guns and ammo.
One other note, is that you liberals think that you have seen bloodshed. Just watch some of the YouTube videos and look at the firearm forums. Gun owners are not just going to roll over and say, here are my guns with a cherry on top. It will be the most horrible time since the civil war if you try and go door to door trying to take peoples firearms away from them. I just thank God that I’m older and hopefully I won’t be around to watch what I think is gonna happen. It’s to sad to imagine .
The NRA and all that don’t like what’s happening in this country need to have a counter march to show our support for our right! The time to stand up is now!