On Valentine’s Day, 2018, 17 teenagers were killed and 15 injured in a Parkland, Florida High School. Since that time, students across the country and even globe have raised their voices demanding action.
Massachusetts students across the state, including those at RMHS, participated in both the School Walk-out on March 14, and the March for Our Lives in both Washington DC and Boston Common.
Individual states vary greatly in their gun laws, but those with stricter laws, like Massachusetts, have fewer gun deaths per capita. So, when it comes to Massachusetts, home to some of the nation’s strictest gun laws and the lowest gun death rate, what exactly is the role of area youth?
Indeed, our State already does most of the things youth protesters are fighting for. Massachusetts already bans assault weapons, requires gun dealers to conduct background checks, and mandates private sellers verify that buyers have a valid gun license. Massachusetts also bans “mentally defective” people from owning firearms, grants law enforcement discretion in approving firearm licenses, and last year eliminated the sale of bump-stocks. In fact, many people are pointing to Massachusetts as a model for gun reform. A recent Boston Globe analysis found that if other states followed Massachusetts formula, 27,000 lives per year would be saved nationally.
However, while all of that is great, experts say there are still a few improvements Massachusetts could make. For starters, it could ban the .50 Caliber sniper rifle, designed for military use to shoot down aircraft. California, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington DC have already done so. Also, because half of all gun sales in the United States are private, there are still some loopholes Massachusetts could tighten here. Massachusetts could also institute “Red Flag” laws which allow family, guardians and police to ask judges to temporarily take away the gun rights and confiscate the weapons of a person who has shown signs of violence. Only a handful of states have this law, and Massachusetts is NOT one of them. To push these items along, the State Legislature is the place to take this fight.
Students may also want to support the national movement because, according to the Boston Globe, most guns used in Massachusetts shootings were not purchased within the state, but instead came from places with looser gun laws such as New Hampshire, Maine, and Florida. Tightening laws in other states, ideally through an act of Congress, will make Massachusetts that much safer.
So, while Massachusetts is a leader on this issue, there is still work to be done both here at home and nationally, and it seems that today’s youth are the most powerful voice for change.