Fla. students walk out in support of 2nd Amendment: ‘My rights don’t end where your feelings begin’

Dozens of students at a Central Florida high school who feel misrepresented by the anti-gun student activists in Parkland walked out of classes Friday in support of the Second Amendment.

About 75 students, according to a head count by administrators at Rockledge High School in Brevard County, walked out of classes for about 20 minutes carrying the American flag and pro-Second Amendment signs, Florida Today reported.

The walkout came two weeks after thousands of students across the country participated in the National Student Walkout to protest gun violence in honor of the 17 students and teachers who were fatally shot Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The walkout was organized by Youth Empower, a division of the national Women’s March, a left-wing group that has staged two national protests against President Trump.

Organizers of Friday’s march at Rockledge said they were disappointed that the nationwide walkout turned turned into a call for stricter gun-control laws when it was supposed to honor the 17 victims.

Co-organizer Chloe Deaton, a sophomore who donned a T-shirt that read, “my rights don’t end where your feelings begin,” told a local ABC affiliate: “I’m just saying that we should not let our rights be taken because someone else does something wrong.”

Many of the students led by Ms. Deaton and co-organizer Anna Delaney said they supported implementing a plan to train and arm school staff.

“If [school staff] are capable, we should allow it. They’re just going to tell us to hide during a school shooting?” John King, a junior, told Florida Today.

“I personally believe it’s a good idea, as long as they’re trained and have the knowledge,” Ms. Delaney added.

“It’s all over the news right now that all students hate guns. I wanted to show that not all students feel that way,” said Zachary Schneider, a junior.

At least 15 schools in Brevard participated in the National Student Walkout last month, including Rockledge. The school’s principal, Vickie Hickey, told Florida Today that Friday’s event was treated exactly like that march.