I survived a mass shooting in an American public school. Like many of my classmates, I was thrust into the debate about guns and the Second Amendment. Prior to that horrific day on February 14th, 2018, I was a firm supporter of the Second Amendment. Following that day, I have watched as many have sought to misinform the public about guns through faulty arguments, misleading statistics, and shameless emotional appeals. Being uniquely situated as a survivor, I felt it was my duty to sort out the good from the bad while I had the public’s ear and to disseminate what I believe are the strongest arguments regarding gun control.
Last week the New York Times published a piece by opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof titled “10 Modest Steps to Cut Gun Violence.” The article has been shared and viewed by hundreds of thousands of people and lauded by my Parkland peers as “common sense gun control.” As someone who has spent nearly every moment since the shooting reading gun control materials and engaging in the debate with other students, members of Congress, and even the President, I realized that this article was not only lacking in common sense, but would be entirely unproductive. Here is my rebuttal to Mr. Kristof:
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