Young Democratic Candidates for SC Statehouse Release the Following Statement on Gun Violence in Schools

The following statement was released by:

• Sydney Clinton, Democratic nominee for house District 98 and a student at the University of South Carolina
• Stephen Hilton, Democratic candidate for House District 112 and recent graduate from the University of South Carolina
• Ryan Thompson, Democratic nominee for House District 106 and recent graduate from the College of Charleston 

The American dream used to be one of hope; one of promise; one of hard work equaling a life of prosperity. The idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness being fundamental rights for all Americans and guaranteed to the generations who have come before us and to those who follow, was a lofty dream dreamt by the Founding Fathers. This idea – these rights – were fought and paid for by courageous men and women from the beaches of Normandy to our first responders on 9/11.

As we sit here on the eve of Memorial Day, a day remembered for all of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that their children, and their children’s children, are afforded the opportunity of fulfilling the American dream, we wonder what they would think in the wake of yet another mass shooting, in another American town, killing another 21 Americans, 19 of them children. We wonder what they would think about another 21 families deprived of the most basic of rights supposedly guaranteed to all Americans: life.

Common sense gun reform is favored by 90% of legal gun owners in America and has proven to be effective in reducing gun violence and protecting gun owners and non-gun owners alike. Closing the Charleston loophole, which allows gun purchases to move forward after three business days even if a background check has not been completed, would have prevented Dylan Roof from executing nine innocent Charlestonians in 2015. Yet, in spite of the rapid growth of gun violence, our Republican-led legislature in Columbia has shown no attempt to ensure the most basic of rights to us; instead, they want more guns on the streets. They want NO restrictions on gun ownership by allowing permit-less carry, ensuring the likes of Dylan Roof in Charleston, Salvador Ramos in Uvalde, and Payton Gendron in Buffalo would be able to carry out their murderous actions even more easily.

We are the school shooting generation. We spent our elementary, middle, and high school years practicing how to hide from yet another armed attacker roaming the halls of our schools. We have lived through soft lockdowns and hard lockdowns, both with and without clear threats, each of us wondering when our school would become the next Columbine; Virginia Tech; Sandy Hook; Marjory Stoneman Douglas; and now Robb Elementary.

The Republican-led state legislature has forfeited their right to represent us by placing an overreaching interpretation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution above the most basic of rights guaranteed to us: life. That is why we are running to unseat the likes of Rep. Chris Murphy and Rep. Joe Bustos. Their actions, and lack thereof, clearly show they do not have our best interests at heart, and therefore need to be sent home.

The children in our schools are not old enough to vote or change the policies that impact them. The survivors of Robb Elementary are not old enough to advocate for themselves. As students ourselves, we are running to give a voice to those who have lived through these realities.

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