On March 14th, the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, Berkeley Carroll students joined an estimated 185,000 people from over 3,100 schools in the #Enough National School Walkout to demand gun reform. At 10:00 am, students walked out of their classes for 17 minutes and marched up to Grand Army Plaza where student leaders Hannah S. ‘19, Moe H. ‘19, and Natalie S. ‘19 read the names of the 17 students and staff who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and then held two minutes of silence in their honor.

The #Enough National School Walkout was organized by the Women’s March Youth Empower Walkout and calls on Congress to:

1. Enact a resolution declaring gun violence a public health crisis
2. Ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines
3. Expand background checks to all gun sales
4. Pass the Federal Gun Violence Restraining Order law
5. Pass an act to demilitarize law enforcement

Teenagers across the nation are spearheading the movement for gun reform. Not only have they flooded all social media, but they have been working tirelessly to organize walkouts and marches and they have faced politicians head on, demanding change. In her now famous speech, student and Parkland survivor Emma Gonzaléz told the country, “We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because we’re going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because, just as David [Hogg] said, we are going to be the last mass shooting… The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and are prepared to call BS.” It was after talking about Gonzaléz’s speech in advising when Hannah S. ‘19 realized “just how important it was for Berkeley Carroll to be a part of this movement.”

When asked about why she walked out, Junior Eugenie H. ‘19 shares how she thinks it’s “important for students to become involved in issues like this because we can’t always count on adults. Students are the future, as cliché as it sounds, but becoming involved in these issues is how we can make change.”

In addition to the walkout at 10:00 am, some Berkeley Carroll students headed over to the Prospect Park Bandshell at 2:00 pm to join the rally organized by Borough President Eric Adams and Councilmember Brad Lander. For Abby L. ‘20, a Sophomore who attended the rally, “not walking out wasn’t really an option.” She explains, “I am absolutely furious that a problem, gun violence, with such an easy solution is still a problem. In fact, the only reason it is a problem is because those who insist on holding onto their “right” to own a gun — a gun that is not registered, that they are not trained to have, and that they do not need to be over 21 to own — are too obsessed with their own lives, their own bubbles, and their own money to see the damage and death that their selfish and stupid acts have caused. By not walking out, I would be doing exactly the same thing; remaining in my own safety bubble, ignoring gun violence until it affects me directly.”

While Abby already “wholeheartedly support[s] gun control,” she shares that “being at the rally on Wednesday made me realize I need to do more than I have been about gun control.” She was “actually pretty disappointed with the general lack of BC students at the rally,” and one of the ideas she had while at the rally was to form a “rally committee at school” which would “send out a weekly blast giving everyone information about them and about the issues being protested. That way, no one could say that they did not go simply because they were not informed, because it seems to me that that is the main BC excuse for not being active, which is unfortunate.”

Moe H. ‘19 explains to The Blotter that by walking out and taking a stand, “it’s showing that us as students are aware of what’s going on in the world. We’re aware of the NRA getting support from Trump and Trump getting money from the NRA, we’re aware of all of these systems and we’re willing to fight for what’s right.” Moe laments, “unfortunately I’m not of voting age yet, but when I am,” he warns, “watch out!”

Here are some ways you can stay involved in the fight to end gun violence:

• Participate in the April 20 National Student Walkout
• Visit Everytown for Gun Safety’s website to learn about gun violence and to sign up for email updates
• If you are of age, register to vote! (voter registration time takes an average of two minutes or less to complete)