Students who marched included Sam Kaplan ’19, Shraya Poetti ’19
More than 200,000 people marched through the streets of Washington, DC, last Saturday, March 24, in protest of gun violence, while activists held another 800 sister marches across the country. Collectively, the event, known as March for Our Lives, was one of the largest student-led demonstrations in American history. It was a part of the ongoing anti-gun violence campaign in the United States, a movement which has gained prominence in the wake of the February 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Speakers at the Washington march included three students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, where one of their former classmates shot and killed fourteen students and three adults. Choate chartered a bus to the New York City march, taking fifty students and five faculty members, the maximum number of students allowed to sign up.
Max Gingher ’19, who marched in New York, said, “I just remember standing there, holding hands with my friends, and listening to people speak. There was not a dry eye in sight because it was so moving and inspirational. We all kept looking to each other and saying, ‘This is history. This is what is going on in our childhood. This is what’s going to be written in the history books, and we’re a part of it.’”
The movement’s basic goal, as Alice Volfson ’19, who organized the Choate trip to the march, explained, is to pressure “representatives in Congress to pass a common sense law for gun reform.”
The movement hopes to increase background checks, raise the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21 years old, and increase screening for individuals with a history of violent mental health. Volfson added, “The sale of ARs should definitely not be just for recreational use.”
Not every student on campus supports the movement. Brent Valentine ’19 said, “I fully support people using their rights to protest and share their opinions, but I disagree with the movement. I believe much of the anti-gun movement is a fear-driven reaction devoid of knowledge on the subject.”
Choate students have been involved in other gun-control initiatives. Many students recently made cards for the families of victims of the shooting in Parkland. Alex Hakim ’19, who organized the card drive, said of the shooting in Parkland, “This is so heartbreaking. I want to run down there and say, ‘We love you, it’s going to be okay, I’m here for you.’ I just wanted to make cards just to put a smile on their faces.”
Students who marched included Laila Hawkins ’19, Alice Volfson ’19, and Max Gingher ’19.
Hakim set up a station in the dining hall on March 4, and students of all grades contributed. Hakim then went to Parkland while on her preseason sailing trip and met the media specialist of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Diana Haneski. “I gave her the cards and told her they were from Choate Rosemary Hall, just sending our love, and she really appreciated it,” Hakim said.
Grace Stapelberg ’20 and Sam Brown ’20 are currently running another initiative on campus — a video project in collaboration with Liam Podos ’20. “We were inspired by a social experiment video we saw on YouTube that compared people who are pro- and anti-gun legislation. We thought it would be even more interesting and passionate if the discussion was between Choate students,” Stapelberg explained.
While there is a political divide on the topic of gun control, many students do not see the anti-gun violence movement as purely political. Gingher said, “I think that people should look at the youth of America, and see that people are sitting in classrooms in fear. My awakening was sitting in a classroom having this run through my head and knowing that there are other kids who are horrified to go to school. Unless you have not an ounce of empathy in you, or no compassion, how can you argue that nothing in our country has to be done to change what’s going on?” He continued, “It’s hard to argue that we should just sit back and have our thoughts and prayers because that’s not going to fix the problem.”
The goal of the movement is not to ban guns altogether. Laila Hawkins ’19 said, “I stand by the Second Amendment. I do believe that people have the right to access handguns and hunting rifles because those can be hobbies and can make people feel safe.”
Valentine agreed that lawmakers should take a thoughtful approach to crafting new gun laws. “Gun legislation should not focus on any particular weapon or feature. Too many times the government fails in enforcing an existing law, so why would adding another law change that? There are many more possible laws that could be effective, but banning guns or arbitrarily calling something an assault weapon won’t do anything,” argued Valentine.
Differing opinions are where Stapelberg and Brown hope there video will be most effective. “With our video, we are hoping that minority opinions and voices are heard as loud and as frequently as those of the majority,” Brown said. “A lot of what students are doing has a particular agenda in mind, and I really respect and admire that. However, we simply want to give people a platform to voice their opinions.”
