“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.”
The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution has been under intense scrutiny and served as the center of a fierce and contentious debate in the wake of a slew of mass shootings over the past few years.
The Parkland School shooting in Florida in particular sparked an overwhelming emotional response that has fueled the March For Our Lives movement in cities and towns across America. The march itself constituted roughly 200,000 people in Washington D.C. alone, with thousands more participating in 800 other marches nationwide.
March For Our Lives should have been an inclusive and unifying movement that brings everyone to the table. Instead, the movement has further polarized the nation and will ultimately fail in achieving its goal of assuring “that no special interest group or political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country.”
Through the speeches, social media posts, and online platform, it is clear that March For Our Lives has become about advancing a narrow gun control agenda. It has been aimed at alienating those who disagreed with their platform rather than embracing the fundamental idea that reform is needed.
Specifically, supporters of the NRA and conservative voters have been targeted. Emma Gonzalez, a Parkland teen activist who received a great amount of attention for her March For Our Lives speech, said in an interview with CNN, "... I don't really care what people who defend the Second Amendment have to say." David Hogg, another Parkland activist and leader in movement, attacked Senator Marco Rubio in his speech, saying, “I’m going to start off by putting this price tag right here as a reminder for you guys to know how much Marco Rubio took for every student’s life in Florida.” Hogg was referring to an orange $1.05 price tag that Parkland survivors wore during the march. Parkland student Sarah Chadwick calculated this figure by dividing the NRA contributions Rubio has received by the number of high school students enrolled in Florida.
These two statements already present many issues, and it’s no wonder that gun rights activists are quick to feel like they are on the defensive. The accusation that those who ardently support the Second Amendment and stronger gun rights protections are murders is ignorant and assumes that this status quo of school security and gun policy is acceptable.
The vast majority of gun owners in America are law-abiding citizens. Many love their country and fear for their children just as much as anyone else. Regardless of your view on guns, it is unfair to smear the other side just because they disagree with the exact platform with which to resolve this problem.
March For Our Lives had an opportunity to make gun reform a bipartisan movement that held all members of government accountable. Instead, it has become wildly politicized. In fact, the polling data from the D.C. march found that 89 percent of protesters voted for Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, a legion of liberal donors and interest groups such as Planned Parenthood, Giffords, Everytown and many more have responsible for significantly driving the momentum behind the movement.
Despite their advocacy for reform, family members of victims of these school as well as survivors who support stronger emphasis on strengthening school security have received far less media attention for their efforts and dedication. Virtually none were included in the March For Our Lives rallies, and some have even alleged not being allowed to speak because of their ideological inconsistencies with the movement’s agenda.
By declaring war on the NRA and it supporters, the March for Our Lives activists are demonstrating how out of touch they are with the situation. Additionally, they are making their own cause even harder to tackle. From January to February, NRA individual donations more than tripled from approximately $248,000 to $779,000. The number of people contributing in the week after the Parkland shooting increased almost 500 percent from the week prior.
Many leaders on the right must also be held accountable for exacerbating the situation. For example, Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King mocked Gonzalez with a nasty remark on social media. Many conservatives and libertarians must learn that it is far more constructive to discredit arguments rather than make unrelated personal attacks.
Outrageous rhetoric has unfortunately characterized the movement thus far, and further perpetuates our inability to have civil discussions based on empathy and finding common ground. Although March For Our Lives seems to empower many, it has been another example of futile virtue signaling.
We should all sympathize with those affected directly by the mass shootings. However, we cannot continue to feed the false narrative that tragedy makes people policy experts. Every perspective should be taken seriously with a general assumption that the overarching goal is to save lives, regardless of political views. The March For Our Lives missed a crucial opportunity to be inclusive to diverse viewpoints and utilize the true power of a united American public to draw up bipartisan solutions and hold our politicians accountable. As Americans, we must learn to put politics aside and reach a consensus for the sake of posterity.
Mitchell Siegel is a Trinity sophomore. His column, “truth be told,” runs on alternate Wednesdays.
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Mitchell Siegel is a Trinity sophomore. His column, "truth be told," runs on alternate Wednesdays.