Classmates push “common-sense” fixes after massacre.
Four classmates push for ‘common-sense’ fixes after massacre
Kennedy Rodriguez used to think the solutions for stopping school shootings were simple.
Then, a week ago, one of Rodriguez’s classmates at Santa Fe High School opened fire inside the campus, killing eight students and two teachers. As details of the shooter’s background and method of carrying out the massacre came to light, Rodriguez saw the tangled web of factors that precipitated the murderous gunfire.
“Once it became actually personal, I think it made me realize that it’s not one set thing, or it’s not necessarily guns that are the problem,” said Rodriguez, an 18year-old senior. “There are multiple things that go into it, because each case is so different. Not every school shooting is exactly the same, and it probably never will be.”
Still, Rodriguez saw some ways that political leaders could reduce the chances of another community suffering like Santa Fe: new laws designed to promote gun safety, more mental health services for students, better security on campuses.
Rodriguez and three classmates pushed for those changes during a Friday news conference in Houston, the first public event organized by students who put together the March for Our Lives Houston rally two months ago. One by one, the four students calmly urged lawmakers to act on recommendations that are more likely to garner bipartisan support, bridging the cultural divide over gun ownership laws.
“The simple reality is that if we do not do something, another town will be ripped apart like mine,” said Megan McGuire, a 17-year-old junior at Santa Fe
High School. “Inaction is not an option. We must do something, and we must get it right. School safety is a complex issue.”
In a quiet meeting room nearly 50 miles from Santa Fe, the four students — Rodriguez, McGuire and sisters Bree and Brooklynn Butler — sought to amplify youth voices amid the ongoing debate over how to stop school shootings. None of the four were injured or in the main classroom where the shooting took place, but all four were in the high school at the time.
The students repeatedly said they do not want to take away the rights of law-abiding gun owners, focusing instead on ways to reduce children’s access to weapons, such as gun safes.
“My dad is a gun owner. My grandfathers are gun owners. I don’t want to take away their guns, or your guns for that matter,” McGuire said. “What I mean by gun safety is commonsense solutions to keep those who wish to harm themselves or others from obtaining guns.”
In many ways, Friday’s subdued event reflected the complex atmosphere facing students in Santa Fe.
Following the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 14 children and three adults dead, student activists galvanized parts of the nation, spearheading advocacy marches attended by hundreds of thousands and organizing mass school walkouts.
In Houston, more than 10,000 people attended the March for Our Lives rally, where many called for bans on military-style weapons and denounced the National Rifle Association.
The response after Santa Fe, however, has been different.
Unlike Parkland, which skews liberal, Santa Fe is a largely conservative town with a deeply ingrained gun culture. As a result, many students and residents have pushed back against those who seek to use campus shootings as evidence of the need for more restrictive gun laws.
The Santa Fe shooting also has not drawn nearly as much media attention or sparked such strident national discussion. That the Santa Fe shooter used a shotgun and revolver — weapons that are much more common in the U.S. — to carry out his attacks has muted some of the debate over weapons bans.
With those complexities in mind, the four Santa Fe High School students pitched a multifaceted approach to stemming campus shootings. McGuire and Bree Butler said they would support metal detectors on campus, which more Texas legislators have suggested since the Santa Fe shooting. Bree Butler also said students could benefit from more licensed therapists and more armed law enforcement officers in schools.
“I do believe this is a three-legged problem,” said Bulter, an 18year-old senior. “It’s not only gun safety. It’s also mental health and security in our schools.”
Student organizers from March for Our Lives Houston said they are planning additional events and working to help craft legislation following last week’s shooting. They emphasized their desire to balance advocacy with respect for the Santa Fe community.
“We are not here today to talk on behalf of Santa Fe or to push our own agendas,” said Kelly Choi, a lead organizer for March for Our Lives Houston and a student at Cypress Woods High School. “Instead, we are here as one body, showing our support and love to our students who wish to talk about their experiences and desire for change.”