Students Protest Gun Violence
After the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, many are calling for stricter gun control laws. However, a high school in St. Louis, Missouri forbade students who staged a protest for gun violence from returning on school campus for the remaining of the day.
Over 100 students at Riverview Gardens High School participated in a walkout around 10 a.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 27) reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. They carried signs that read “Is your semi-automatic worth my life?” and “Teachers don’t need guns!” The students are also are calling for background checks for gun sales, forbidden bump stocks, and other various gun control actions.
17-year-old junior Kenidra Woods said “there’s no reason a 19-year-old boy should’ve been able to purchase an AR-15”, referring to Nikolas Cruz, the mass shooter of the tragedy in Florida.
Riverview Gardens junior Kenidra Woods calls for background checks for gun sales, metal detectors in school to keep students safe from guns pic.twitter.com/EticjNixUB
— Kristen Taketa (@Kristen_Taketa) February 27, 2018
Riverview Garden officials told students they wouldn’t be allowed to ride school buses home or re-enter school on campus grounds for the rest of the school day if they decided to protest. Those who tried returning to school were blocked by school officials. Students also claimed the school threatened to suspend them.
.@twitjb tells me he’s watching Riverview Gardens officials block high school students who are trying to get back into school after they walked out to protest gun violence.
— Kristen Taketa (@Kristen_Taketa) February 27, 2018
Following the backlash, school officials appeared to reverse their decision and allowed students to return.
