School safety
School safety

Not all agree with anti-gun sentiment of school walkouts

Students at Mundy's Mill Middle School in Clayton County gathered to remember the recent mass school shooting in Florida and also express their views, some of which were anti-gun, during the school walkout March 14.

Credit: Mitch Northam

Credit: Mitch Northam

Students at Mundy's Mill Middle School in Clayton County gathered to remember the recent mass school shooting in Florida and also express their views, some of which were anti-gun, during the school walkout March 14.
By Christopher Quinn
March 14, 2018

Beck Glover from Coweta County did not plan to walk out of class Wednesday to memorialize 17 killed in February mass shooting at a Florida high school.

It’s not that he isn’t horrified by what happened.

The issue is that the protest movement for many metro Atlanta teenagers has a decided bent toward demanding new gun control laws -- from signs local students were holding to politicians seizing the issue in their expressions of what the day was about.

Like a sizable segment of Georgians, Beck doesn't see guns as the problem. His experiences with guns are positive. The 16-year-old grew up hunting with his grandfather and father. He not only plays on the Newnan High School lacrosse team, he also target shoots competitively as a part of a popular Georgia 4-H program.

Looking at the number of gun owners in Georgia and those who participate in shooting sports, and knowing that the schools where walkouts were organized were clustered in the metro Atlanta area, it’s clear that many Georgians are less committed to gun control as an answer to stopping mass shootings.

You can read what some Georgia gun owners say in the full story on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia's $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.

Follow Christopher Quinn on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Students are seen entering and leaving the Tate Student Center on the University of Georgia campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. State data released Tuesday shows that the rate of international students enrolling in Georgia’s public universities dropped dramatically this semester. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

International student enrollment slows at Georgia universities

It is not yet clear if the slowdown in Georgia is an anomaly or a sign of things to come.

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Due to lower enrollment and climbing costs, 16 school buildings would be repurposed under the plan, with several schools closing and their students rezoned for other schools.

Judge overturns expulsion of Cobb student who warned friends of school threat

A Cobb County judge said the school system did not prove that a student who warned friends about a perceived threat intentionally disrupted the school day.

The Latest

Students are seen entering and leaving the Tate Student Center on the University of Georgia campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. State data released Tuesday shows that the rate of international students enrolling in Georgia’s public universities dropped dramatically this semester. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

International student enrollment slows at Georgia universities

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Three Atlanta school board races appear headed to runoffs

Featured

The DeKalb school district is suing to recover money spent on cellphone lockers, plus money spent on implementing social media guidelines and hosting associated events, lost teaching time and to hire extra school counselors. (The New York Times file)

Credit: NYT

DeKalb school district reveals $4M social media addiction problem

The district is suing social media companies to get them to pay for addressing students' addiction to apps like Instagram. The companies argue they aren't to blame.

Atlanta airport sees continued cancellations because of shutdown

More than 115 flight cancellations were recorded on a quieter frigid Tuesday morning, far below Saturday's surge of 370.

For Ossoff and Georgia Democrats, the shutdown fight is the message

The fight over the federal government shutdown has allowed Georgia Democrats, like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, to show that they have the grit to stand up to Republicans.