#ENOUGH
Open letters about gun violence. Submit through Vocal today.
It’s Time for an Honest Conversation About the Second Amendment
I don’t think I am one to talk. I lived in a house where mom and dad despised guns, to this day. Yet, I went the other day shooting at a range here in Charleston, and they seemed to be happy for me that I got to have some fun trying something I’ve never done. How could that be possible? Now the real question stands, can we have a healthy talk about what’s tearing our country apart?
Tristan DeJesusPublished 6 years ago in The SwampAmerica & the Arms- Ageddon
In current times, we face many different threats to our way of life, as well as how we operate globally. Not only on a physical level either, as with advancements in technology we've become at risk to a whole catalouge of new weapons. The increasing risk of Artificial intelligence (AI) being weaponized, the prospect of nuclear war and many others. But it seems that we still have a lot to acomplish with our 'traditional' issues - such as the ongoing firearms issues that we continuously see in the United States of America.
Ryan McGregorPublished 6 years ago in The SwampPossible Gun Control Solutions
America's epidemic of gun violence is easily solved. There are plenty of gun control solutions and the public is hungry to see those solutions implemented. The problem is that there are too many politicians who benefit from the status quo and the various legal and psychological machinations that keep those politicians in power.
Ben KharakhPublished 6 years ago in The SwampThe Double Standard in America
Yes, believe it or not, there are double standards in America. We live with it everyday, yet we do nothing about it. We have cops killing unarmed African Americans, which we turn a blind eye to. We then have children murdering other children in school hallways. We get in an uproar then, but when it comes time to do something, we cling to our firearms for fear that some government official is going to walk in our house and take them out of our hands. When a person of Middle Eastern descent does something wrong, we automatically claim terrorism. When a white male does it, it's the cry of a troubled young man. Where do we find the happy medium?
James HowellPublished 6 years ago in The SwampTelevised Media Is Loosing to Digital Media
Digital Journalism has completely taken over print media. However, with digital journalism it is becoming increasingly more difficult to decipher, what is true and what is fake. With political powers such as the president of the United States of America, constantly chalking things up as “fake news," it is nearly impossible for an individual to decipher what is real and what is fake. However, as difficult as it may seem to construe, digital media, televised media has been reporting news in a similar fashion for years.
Ashley AndersonPublished 6 years ago in The SwampMr. Trump, Listen Up
Dear Donald, listen up, It was the evening of December 19th, 2016 when the world went silent. Have you ever experienced a time in your life where your heart felt like it was racing 80mph and then time stopped for a brief moment? Well, that is exactly what it felt like during the final hour of the election. What am I concerned about with your presidency? OUR people! The minorities, people of color, LGBTQIA, disabled people, elderly, women, undocumented civilians, and many more of us. This is my concern.
Jasmane DaneshmandPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp- Top Story - March 2018
Stop Confusing Gun Reform/Control with Losing Your Second Amendment Rights
Gun reform/ control can be defined as: “the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.”
Dear Reader: Imagine the Fear
Dear Reader, This piece involves mental imagery and imagination. Not the imagination that we are shaped to have, but an imagination that is full of grief and darkness. Unless you were homeschooled as a child, I assume most people reading this have experienced high school. Whether you were the “nerd,” “jock,” or “burn out,” you were part of a community. This community was invented to help shape young children into young adults. With structured schedules the children, of all different identities, were blended together.
Is America Trying to Mask the Real Problem by Using Gun Control?
Is America trying to mask the real problem by using gun control? Should we really be focusing on gun control or should we focus more on mental illness? That is the question that a lot of people right now are asking; especially in light of the most current situations here in America. The first thing that we should look at is, “What is the 2nd amendment”? Well the 2nd amendment is part of the bill of rights, which states “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” And the 2nd amendment was adopted on December 15th, 1791; but why is everyone so concerned with it right now?
Karina LaymanPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp- Top Story - March 2018
I Marched in the National Student Walkout Against Gun Violence
This morning, at 10am, I joined high school students across the nation in a walkout in solidarity with students from the Parkland shooting, and a call to congress for stricter gun laws.
Rachel BrownPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp Gun Control Is Everybody's Issue
My dad came to visit me in New York, and like every artistic kid who has business-minded parents, we never really agree on much. We have different opinions on basically everything. Of course, growing up under the regimen of Dictator Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, politics are a reoccurring topic in our conversations. We've argued and discussed anything and everything; the republican and democratic party, liberals and conservatives, and even that one time when the cast of Hamilton read their eloquent letter to Mike Pence when he was in their audience, about their fears and concerns of what it would mean to have Trump be our 45th President.
University Students on Gun Violence
Richmond, Virginia— Karen sat alone in front of a scaling glass wall, overlooking the heart of Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus. She cautiously warmed her hands with a cup of hot coffee. “You guys have no idea who you just sat down with,” she said, contently. “I graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. I also went to Virginia Tech, where I survived a mass shooting in 2007.”
Corrine FizerPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp