A Walkout Against 'Gun Violence' With No Clear Destination

Some Oregon high school students walked out of class on Thursday to protest "gun violence," but it's far from clear where they want lawmakers to go from here.

The walkouts were organized by Students Demand Action, which is another offshoot of the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. 

“Students will stand in solidarity with the Bend community and call attention to their right to attend school without fearing gunfire,” the group said in a press release about the walkout. “From school shootings to gun suicides, domestic violence, and shootings in neighborhoods, gun violence continues to devastate families and communities across the state.”

As a reminder, the homicide rate in the United States this year is almost certain to be the lowest on record, and violent crime hasn't been this low since the late 1960s. I know that's of little comfort to those who've lost loved ones or are victims themselves, but if you're gonna protest to demand change you should at least be willing to acknowledge that the numbers are heading in the right direction. We should be asking what's working and what's not instead of vaguely demanding "change."

Of course, if you're demanding politicians take action you should also be able to articulate what action you want them to take. Students Demand Action appears to be unwilling or unable to do so.

Now, to their credit, Oregon's anti-gun politicians haven't been any better. Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden was quick to demand "common sense" changes to our gun laws after the shooting in Bend, Oregon, but has yet to introduce any legislation in response.. much less a bill that would actually have made a difference. 

In the wake of the shootings at Silver Rail Elementary School, the gun control lobby has become the Seinfeld of civic engagement: a movement about nothing, or at least nothing specific. 

There are some serious conversations worth having about what happened in Bend, including whether the school had adequate security measures in place, whether there were warning signs that could have been acted upon, and what might prevent a similar attack in the future.

Those aren't questions that can be answered with another gun control law, though, and maybe that explains why Students Demand Action seems reluctant to get into specifics.

Oregon already has universal background checks, a red flag law, and restrictions on gun ownership by people convicted of certain crimes. Voters also approved Measure 114, with its permit-to-purchase requirement and ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds, though implementation has been tied up in litigation.

So what exactly is missing? What new law would have prevented the attack at Silver Rail Elementary? And if the answer is another restriction on lawful gun owners, how would it have stopped this particular killer?

Those are questions worth asking, and they're questions that deserve more than slogans in response.

These kids have every right to make their voices heard and demand that elected officials take their safety seriously. But exercising your First Amendment rights doesn't automatically make your argument persuasive, especially when you haven't bothered to articulate one.

There's a difference between raising awareness and advocating solutions. Everybody is already aware that school shootings are horrific. Nobody needs a reminder that innocent children should be able to attend class without fearing for their lives. The challenge is figuring out what actually works to protect them.

If Students Demand Action wants to be taken seriously as a political movement, then do more than demand that politicians do "something." Explain what that something is, why it would work, and why the costs imposed on law-abiding Americans would be justified.

These students can walk out of school, march through the streets, and chant until they're hoarse, but if they don't know where they're going, they shouldn't be surprised when their walkout leads nowhere.

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

Help us continue to report on and expose the Democrats’ gun-grabbing schemes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.