User:Carsonfirestone/sandbox

Planned Edits to Public opinion on gun control in the United States

Public Reactions

March for Our Lives

March for Our Lives began following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in March of 2018. The movement is lead by student survivors of the tragedy and has gained support for a large variety of gun reform policies. Increased funding for gun violence research, high-capacity magazine bans, civilian assault rife bans, and the disarming of domestic abusers are all items supported by the movement along with many more added gun control measures.^[1] This movement has been met with mixed reactions from the opposing parties in America and from different organizations. The NRA has openly stated it's stance against the movement and claimed the movement is an attack on the second amendment.^[2] Meanwhile, the public and politicians have been split on the movement, typically along party lines. Democrats have voiced large amounts of support for the movement including former president Barack Obama, who stated that "the movement lead by young people is inspiring to those of all ages"^[3]

Party Polarization

Politicians and the public alike have grown increasingly apart in the wake of recent events and tragedies. Many states have started passing legislation to change gun control in America which has lead to increased debate about the topic. Oregon, Washington, Florida, and Rhode Island have all passed legislation that increased gun restrictions in their states in 2018.^[4] These laws all favor ideas presented by Democrats and have been met with backlash from Republicans in the area. On the other side of the coin, two school districts in Connecticut have hired armed guards to be present at the school at all times in order to have a immediate officer on the scene in the event of a shooting. Republicans have supported this idea but Democrats feel that adding more armed people to situations only makes them more dangerous.^[5]