Despite the recent protest for amendment on gun policy, congress is unable to come to a decision / Credit: Reuter Yonhapnews
With the recent deadly high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which killed seventeen students, tensions to improve gun control in America have increased drastically. Many students who experienced the violent shooting have called out President Donald Trump to alter the laws on obtaining a weapon to prevent future incidents.
Abruptly following the Florida shooting, Congress called an open meeting to discuss the issues on gun control. President Trump embraced the decision to raise the minimum age requirement to purchase a gun to 21 and suggested that law enforcement should be able to confiscate weapons without going through the process. However, many officials on the republican side were appalled with his suggestion, saying that Trump was suffering from a lapse of judgement and that normally US citizens would worry about a democrat taking away guns, but now they need to watch out for a republican president seizing their weapons.
According to an article published by the ‘The Guardian’ titled, “Students stage White House protest as Trump gives nod to background bill”, students have refocused their anger on the shooting towards persuading Congress to prevent further disasters. In the article, they quote 16-year old Ella Foster, where she states, “It’s really important to express our anger and the importance of finally trying to make a change and having gun control in America. Every day when I say goodbye to my parents, I do acknowledge the fact that I could never see my parents again.”
Unfortunately, with the current back and forth between the republicans and democrats on what action to take, substantive action for the issue seems to be in the distant future. Until a decision is made, gun prevention activists have planned more than 400 marches over the nation in support for the March for Our Lives movement on March 24, 2018.
Krsity Tsai | Reporter
ktsai2@masonlive.gmu.edu
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