“All of a sudden, youth have real clout on a national issue. Let us not waste it. And let Whitefish Bay not stand silent as the rest of the country tries to make a change.” – Jack Styler

The Tower Times has started creating an online archive collection of articles written by past reporters and editors.

An Open Letter to the Whitefish Bay Community was written by 2018 editor-in-chief Jack Styler after the Parkland shooting occurred on February 14, 2018.

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As high schoolers, there are niche issues that we are supposed to talk about: pros/cons of social media usage, pros/cons of technology in schools, college debt, etc. But, ever since Parkland, where seventeen of our counterparts were killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in American history, high schoolers in Florida have pushed the gun control debate. We should stand with them. 

In recent weeks, our own high school felt the ripple effects of Florida. Malicious rumors swept over all grades at our school, students talked about being afraid in class, and a fire alarm left both students and teachers in tears. We are scared. We should be. Kids just like us were killed in Florida. And, as of the time, this is written, the weapons the shooter used in Florida can still be purchased by high schoolers. Loopholes and irresponsible gun laws still exist, allowing high schoolers to buy military-grade weapons. The shooter in Florida used an AR-15 assault rifle. He used it to kill as many people as possible. But, he has not been alone. The Sandy Hook shooter used an AR-15 to kill twenty-seven children and their teachers. The Las Vegas shooter used an AR-15 to kill fifty-eight concert-goers. The Orlando shooter used an AR-15 to kill forty-nine people in the Pulse Nightclub. The AR-15 was also used in San Bernardino and Aurora. This gun is customizable and can be converted from semi-automatic to automatic using legal bump stocks. This gun is the mass murderer’s gun of choice. Yet, all across the country, it is still legal. 

We live in a country where murder is illegal but all the tools necessary to commit murder are available on the internet. 

Since Florida, there have been at least five people arrested for copycat plans in the United States. There is no doubt that these plans are made by severely mentally ill people, but mental illness will never go away. However, politicians with backbones can outlaw guns like the AR-15. So, why hasn’t this happened? Politicians on both sides of the aisle are putting their own reelection campaigns before the security of America’s children, depending on the NRA to finance them. These politicians then hide behind the Second Amendment, so their true greed is not revealed. However, in reality, the founders of our country, whose idea of a gun was a musket, will not roll in their graves if we outlaw the weapon that has been repeatedly used to kill American children. The whole meaning of the word gun has completely changed with technology. For those who disagree, there were mentally ill people in 1890, so where were all the school shootings in 1890? For those who disagree, there are mentally ill people across the world, so why do mass shootings keep happening in America? 

The Tower Times calls on our country to make real control. No high school student should have access to military weapons. The Tower Times calls on Congress and the Wisconsin state legislature to raise the age requirements for buying guns to 21 years old. 

The Tower Times also encourages all students to walk out of school on March 14th at 10:00 for seventeen minutes for the seventeen lives taken in Florida.

All of a sudden, youth have real clout on a national issue. Let us not waste it. And let Whitefish Bay not stand silent as the rest of the country tries to make a change.