Among the questions that are haunting America’s school children, employees, parents and guardians and elected officials is this: Are we as the public institution called public education safer by increasing the number of individuals who can hold a weapon? And for the purposes of this reckoning reflection, let’s consider only the legal acquisition and holding of a gun.

Secondly, the next question rapidly emerging is the appropriate debate about gun weapon control and the seemingly new, sustained and powerful role of student voice and activism. Nearly everywhere and in every media a similar observation is being made in the wake of yet another catastrophic school multiple murder event: Why does this time feel different in the debate about gun control?

It’s little wonder we are watching large numbers of students and individuals saying ‘enough is enough,’ organizing gun control proposals (be them policy or statute), organizing and socializing large “promise demands” to keep safe at school and publicly speaking, debating, and in large numbers, marching to demand that they not be killed in their schools.

The history of student and parent voice about rights in schools is emotional, powerful and public. Stretching across decades and many different kinds of issues, they have rallied for the right to attend desegregated schools, have special education services in a school, have access to the best teaching and most rigorous courses and the right to choose a school. The emergence of student voice on gun violence – rising rapidly and at once from so many corners of America – is as compelling as any other movement of justice by youth in public education, if not more so.

In the committed purpose of this publication, civil discourse on the most difficult issues in education, social justice and entrepreneurship, we can take great care to learn from our youth on this current demand. Watching students debate on the steps of capitols, in print, broadcast and massive social media, we have seen them model civility and fierce determination in advocating for gun control to end the frequent murder of students in schools.

It is hard to reason otherwise given just the tiniest sampling of data at the beginning of this piece. And our youth have said in no uncertain terms, since you – adults and lawmakers – can’t keep us safe from being killed in school, we must take leadership into our own hands. And they are, with astonishing clarity and organization. From social media ventures, to legislative demands our youth and the growing adults following their lead are making what appears to be reasonable and clear action for gun control aimed at stopping children from being killed in classrooms.

Their demands include:

• Raising the age that a young person can legally purchase a gun weapon to 21
• Universal strong background checks
• The end of selling military-style assault weapons to civilians
• The end of selling devices that can help make a weapon assault-like in functioning
• Enabling a judge to remove a weapon from a person deemed to be a threat to themselves or others
• Not supporting increased guns in schools by arming teachers and school staff

All seem remarkably clear and reasonable.

What is also being said, if we listen carefully and with open minds sitting close to difference in opinion, is that there is no demand to repeal the second amendment. There is not a movement to curb or remove legal, non-military style weapons from the possession of law abiding citizens, nor to impede a “well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state” or “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”

With the repeal of prohibition, our government (national and local) has placed regulations and guidelines on the production, distribution and consumption of alcohol. A 10-year-old child is not allowed to have a fifth of vodka, an 18-year-old high schooler cannot legally purchase any alcohol and all adults who have the privilege of a drivers license must adhere to the regulations of the consumption of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle. The risk of harm to oneself and others are at the center of these types of regulations. Our country has taken a similar reasonable approach to tobacco. Our youth are demanding the same with firearms. Some big retailers have rapidly and independently responded to student demands. Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods are two examples. One must ask: where are our adults in government when we so desperately need them? When a child asks not to be killed while trying to learn math, we have come to a fork in the road of responsibility.

“When a child asks not to be killed while trying to learn math, we have come to a fork in the road of responsibility.”
John E. Deasy, The Line Editor-in-Chief

What is not helpful is suggesting that increasing mental health supports and responsible gun control are mutually exclusive in dealing with our nation’s paralysis of action on school murders. They are not. Students and staff are best served when these two measures are both a part of the approach to this epidemic.

In light of intently and intensely listening to our youth, I have come to believe that what they are demanding in such a civil and reasonable style are efforts to protect the second amendment, not efforts to repeal or diminish this important right of law-abiding Americans. Youth are making a clear and compelling case to save the second amendment and the honor of responsible lobbying in our country around this issue. Powerful lobbying is a practice and a right in our governmental process. We seemed to have learned this lesson, albeit slowly, with tobacco and auto safety; why are we struggling with mass murder?

One might be tempted to note the “new activism” by none other than our future leaders. From full-page ads in major newspapers thanking merchants for responsible action to limit the sale of weapons to underage individuals and ending the sale of military weapons to civilians, to talk-outs, marches, and being present for the legislative process, we are proudly witnessing the actuality of both the biblical and colloquial term: “Out of the mouth of children comes truth.” Dare we be reminded that sometimes the hardest part of leadership is listening. Let this issue continue that learning and incite responsible action based in civil discourse.