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Wednesday, March 21, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Sisters students walk out for change
By Hana Schultz and Mia Burton
Correspondents
Since Sandy Hook, when
20 children and six adults
were gunned down by an
adult using an AR-15-style
rifle, 7,000 more young
people have been killed by
gunfire. 7,000 empty shoes
filled the grounds outside
of the Capitol building last
Tuesday, and activists every-
where demanded action to
honor the lives lost to gun
violence.
That morning, to show
support for the families of
the survivors and victims
of the shooting at Stoneman
Douglas High School last
month, a national school
walkout took place. The
walkout generated conflict
between pro-gun and gun
reform activists, including
individuals on the middle
ground of the protest.
In Sisters, the student
demonstration was no less
controversial.
So why did we choose to
walk out? To honor the lives
lost to gun violence with
action, not silence. If there
is anything we students and
individuals can do to prevent
something like this from
happening again, we have
an obligation to take action.
It’s not going to be by send-
ing thoughts and prayers or
accepting donations from
the NRA.
We walked out saying
we’ve had enough, to add
our voices to the millions of
youth who demand that gun
violence in schools end. We
walked out not to call for a
total banning of guns, but to
demand tighter gun control
and limited access to assault
weapons and assault-style
rifles: like the ones school
shooters have too easily
obtained.
There is a process of
regulation when it comes
to people getting things for
which they must be respon-
sible: a gun should be one
of those things. That means
mandatory training, safety
tests, licensing, background
checks and mental-health
screenings for semi-auto-
matic gun buyers. If people
want to purchase some-
thing that can continuously
shoot 45 rounds per minute
or a weapon used by the
military (which you have
access to in several states),
the current process is not
working and needs to be
augmented.
It’s absolutely true that
gun reform would affect
law-abiding citizens by thor-
oughly clarifying that they
are eligible, trained, and
responsible; but this is an
honorable sacrifice to make.
In Florida, a handgun buyer
must wait three days, but
there is no waiting period to
buy an AR-15. Under exist-
ing gun laws, the Parkland
shooter lawfully walked
in and walked out with the
weapon used to claim so
many lives without pause.
Not once has the thought
crossed my mind to ban all
arms, but rather to imple-
ment responsibility along-
side the rights. This is
something we can do, and it
would make a difference.
Young people like Malala
and Emma Gonzalez were
caught in events in which
they must choose life or
death. The Parkland students
explicitly pursued change,
and as a result chose life. As
the adage goes, “those who
do what they have always
done will get what they
have always gotten.” We are
choosing life.
Some have been saying
that kids should keep their
noses out of politics. We
have been told since birth
to be afraid, to be quiet,
and to shelter in place. But
we cannot just do that, we
must respond to the world
we are inheriting from you.
We won’t be kids forever,
and soon we will have the
vote.
Now, more than ever,
we deserve a more equal
opportunity for creating a
way toward change, not just
for us, but for future gen-
erations. Our lives depend
upon it. And that is why we
walked out.
Hana Schultz and Mia
Burton are students at
Sisters High School.
BLUES FEST: Event
is set at two venues
in August
Continued from page 11
and a variety of regional craft
breweries, will be a selec-
tion of carefully curated food
offerings.
“We have about seven
years of direct festival expe-
rience all around Oregon and
are inviting our favorite food
vendors,” said Jennifer.
Early-bird ticket pric-
ing and more information
can be found at www.sisters
rhythmandbrews.com.
August 3, 5 p.m. to midnight;
and Saturday, August 4, noon
to midnight.
Sisters residents Jennifer
and Joe Rambo are excited
about adding another event
to the summer sea-
son that showcases
Sisters and helps to
stimulate the local
economy. In addi-
tion, they will be
working closely
with Sisters Habitat
for Humanity and
the Heart of Oregon
Youthbuild to help
demonstrate their
positive impact
upon our commu-
nity. A portion of
all ticket sales will
be donated to these
two organizations.
According to
Jennifer, “ticket-
holders will have
the unique ability
to catch all 10 main
acts, as each act will
be playing one set
PHOTO BY DAVID GOMEZ
both nights.”
Coupled with Legendary bluesman John Mayall is coming to
two days of music Sisters this summer.
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PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Sisters High School students participated in a walkout on Wednesday, March 14, to “honor the lives lost to gun
violence with action, not silence.”
The Sweetest
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Beautiful Smile!
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$300 discount for the month
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“I am the Resurrection and the Life.” John 11:25
Holy Th ursday, March 29:
Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:00 p.m.
Good Friday, March 30: Stations of the Cross, 3:00 p.m.
Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, 7:00 p.m.
Holy Saturday, March 31: Easter Vigil, 8:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday, April 1: Mass 10:00 a.m.
Smile by Chloee
& The Brace Place!
541-382-0410
410 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters
CentralOregonBracePlace.com
Saint Edward the Martyr Roman Catholic Church
123 Trinity Way, Sisters | 541-549-9391 | www.stedwardsisters.org
