Student Activism and the Debate on Gun Control
Intro Copy
After the horrible massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Florida, students are getting involved in the debate on gun control like never before. In the past, student activism, protests, and debating in open forums were confined to students on college campuses who were already well-seasoned in debate. Times have changed. These students are more prepared than people might think. Kyra Gurney, a journalist for the Miami Herald, wrote an interesting article about the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's debate program, and how just last November its students debated gun control in the classroom. They gathered information on gun laws, deliberated Second Amendment arguments from both sides, and practiced delivering their arguments persuasively. These students were more than just prepared for a debate competition; they were ready to lead a nationwide debate. All around the country many educator-guided debate teams prepare students for debate competitions. But as Gurney noted in her article, schools across Broward County in Florida, like Marjory Stoneman Douglas, add emphasis to this mostly extracurricular activity. These students are armed with facts, articulate writing skills, and eloquent speaking delivery. They have been practicing for moments just like this. And now it's become personal. So well-trained and -coached are these students, one student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, senior David Hogg, was singled out by some conspiracy theorists as a plant and a professional activist. Many other students like yours may have also joined the debate. eLibrary can help them flesh out arguments for debates by providing valuable resources. To make solid arguments, they must ask hard questions from both sides of the debate, and then gather facts. Two good places to start are eLibrary's Research Topics on Writing a Research Paper and Evaluating Resources. These two Research Topics teach kids the fundamentals of research. And eLibrary has much to offer on its new Research Topic-rich platform with these relevant Research Topics. Debates and Debating Gun Control National Rifle Association Second Amendment Youth Activism