@MontereyJack,
Because the FL shooting shocked and scared them. They aren't quite as jaded as adults in general and nowhere near as cynical as politicians.
There is no simple answer to the problem but if they are able to inspire an effort to come together and agree upon a comprehensive package of rational, potentially effective methods that don't surrender individual freedoms for illusory security it will great. I, frankly, don't believe this will be the result though.
With my last qualifier above, I am not referring only to the 2nd Amendment. I am actually even more concerned about laws that will infringe on the rights of people with mental health issues both minor and severe. Not everyone who has sought help for depression and anxiety or even experiences hallucinations both visual and auditory is a threat to others or themselves. So far it appears that legislators have managed to resist the allure of draconian measures, but I keep hearing rhetoric that minimizes the libertarian dangers of expanding the power of government in this area and over-estimating the possible effectiveness. God forbid there is another incident at all and especially anytime soon because I think the urge for an easy fix that is perceived to only impact a fringe element of the population is very strong in America today and we're only one tragedy away from embracing it and surrendering to fear the freedoms of a group of people who really have no powerful voice in the public discourse.
The shooting and the reaction of the students certainly motivated FL legislators to take action, but that was to be expected. It's disappointing that proximity to a tragedy is such an important influence on a concerted response, but it's always been that way. The more personal the tragedy, the greater the sense of urgency in responding to it, which is why
kids around the country are taking this action. Without any criticism implied, I feel certain that these demonstrations would not be taking place if the victims had been in an Assisted Living Community or on a military base. They didn't take place after the Las Vegas incident and that was every bit as horrific as the FL shooting.
I was in High School during the Vietnam War and I remember participating in "Moratoriums" that involved leaving the building (and in thos, cases the school administrators were not in the least forgiving of the action). While there were some students who had come to their anti-war positions with as much deliberation and mature contemplation as a teenager can manage, for most of the students it was a cause they believed in but which they were incapable of discussing/debating with a coherent and comprehensive point of view. There were also quite a few students who joined in because it was deemed "cool," or because it was an opportunity to cut classes for the rest of the day. On the day of the national moratorium, a fairly large crowd walked out and at least a third of them bypassed the "demonstration" outside the school and headed for the shopping center down the street.
This isn't a criticism of those students or the ones who will be walking out of school today for similar reasons. They were and are kids and there are biological reasons why an admirable level of "maturity" is rare among them. They are not supposed to take life so seriously, and most are not equipped to.
The "
And the children shall lead them" meme that has been developing since the incident took place is another example of the superficiality, sentimentality, and in some cases even cynicism that often drives our society. Because any of these kids agree with your position on the issue (whatever it may be) doesn't inject it with authority, and if they are advocating specific actions be taken they should be considered but without assigning them a greater weight than we would any adult citizen's views. There is a very good reason why we don't have children "leading us" and there's no reason to make an exception with this issue.
