Hope for the Future - March For Our Lives founder leaves the gun control movement — and expresses one big regret

[volshayes]

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/09/20/march-for-our-lives-founder-leaves-the-gun-control-movement-and-expresses-one-big-regret

 

March For Our Lives founder leaves the gun control movement — and expresses one big regret

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March For Our Lives founder Cameron Kasky has left the movement, and said he regrets how he treated Sen. Marco Rubio during a CNN television event. (Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXM) 

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One of the survivors of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has left the March For Our Lives gun control movement that grew out of that tragedy, according to the Miami Herald.

Cameron Kasky, who along with classmates David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez became one of the faces of gun control in America, said he was ready to move on from the group, but that his mind had been opened to different political perspectives in the process.

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“…I met that person in Texas who got that semiautomatic weapon because that’s how they like to protect their family,” Kasky said on Fox News Radio on Wednesday. “I met the 50-some-odd percent of women who are pro-life, even though I thought it was preposterous that a woman could be pro-life and not pro-choice at the time.

“I learned that a lot of our issues politically come from a lack of understanding of other perspectives and also the fact that so often young conservatives and young liberals will go into debate…trying to beat one another as opposed to come to an agreement.”

 

 

What’s the big regret?

One of Kasky’s most visible moments as a member of March For Our Lives was the town hall event broadcast on CNN, which was advertised as a forum to open a dialogue about gun issues and predictably devolved into emotional outbursts, finger pointing and grandstanding.

Kasky found himself face-to-face with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and he gave the audience a made-for-TV moment that was rebroadcast and retweeted for days to follow.

“Senator Rubio, it’s hard to look at you and not look down the barrel of an AR-15 and not look at Nikolas Cruz, but the point is you’re here and there are some people who are not,” Kasky told Rubio during the town hall, before aggressively asking the senator if he would stop taking money from the National Rifle Association.

Kasky admits emotion got the best of him in that moment.

“I look back on that and I say, you know what, there were people who had just been buried and when you’re looking at somebody that you find might in some way have been complicit in this murderer obtaining the weapon it’s hard not to say something like that,” Kasky said. “But, I went into that wanting less conversation and more to embarrass Rubio and that was my biggest flaw.”

Kasky said his political views haven’t changed, but he wants to use his platform now to help people have more civil and productive bipartisan discussions.

“I thought it was my responsibility to take all the things I was kicking myself for and to encourage others to avoid it,” Kasky told Fox News Radio.

[Erik88]

This is why I suggested we don't attack the person, but instead attack their position. As Brian mentioned, you have to leave these people room to change their mind. 

[Omega]

7 hours ago, volshayes said:

Kasky said his political views haven’t changed

I'll take a wait n see on this one, nothing so far has shown he won't still be anti-gun.  As to attacking the person vs the message, I agree somewhat, but some of these people, ie Hogg, Pelosi, et al, make it so easy to label them as idiots and treat them as such.

[DaveTN]

I don’t see where he changed his mind. He’s just apologizing for letting his emotions get the best of him and attacking Rubio instead of having a discussion. Good for him.

I wouldn’t argue with this kid. If he was there he suffered what could be a life changing traumatic event. I won’t change his mind and he won’t change mine.

We all (most of us anyway) want a way to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental or violence issues. I’ve not heard any plans to do that, that don’t restrict the rights of those that don’t have issues; other than what we already have.

[Erik88]

He has not changed his mind yet...

[Chucktshoes]

1 minute ago, Erik88 said:

He has not changed his mind yet...

And he may not, but he doesn’t see the opposing side as being evil. That’s the key here I think. As the common bonds that used to hold American society together have broken down, folks have become increasingly tribal. They have also taken to dehumanizing those that are not part of their particular tribe. Whenever anyone can see where the other side is made up of people too, it’s a win for everyone. 

[GlockSpock]

More often than not, experiences shape outlook. Someone at a young age sees their classmates murdered by someone with a gun? Of course the majority of people in that situation would be anti-gun afterwards. A few may not, but it is likely that those would have probably already been pro-gun to begin with.

It has always greatly irritated me that many in gun culture have been so quick to not only write-off most of these victims (less face it, all of the students in these scenarios were victims), but to even go as far to verbally slander them in various ways.

You never change someone's mind by calling them names, stupid, etc. You change someone's mind by listening to them, considering their input and life experiences, and at some point suggesting that maybe there is a better way/opinion. Of course it doesn't always work, but it sure does work better than calling someone names, telling them that they are stupid/wrong, and invalidating the fact that they survived a school shooting but conversely watched their classmates get killed. That never works.