Guns in America: From schools to shooting ranges

In light of recent discussions nationwide on arming teachers and Second Amendment rights, the Urban Legend staff at Urban School of San Francisco researched and reported on student opinions of gun regulations.

Read this PDF to see how they connected with a wide range of individuals to tell the story.

Guns in America

Adviser Beatrice Motamedi shared, “Written after the Sandy Hook shootings, “Guns in America: From Schools to Shooting Ranges” includes a reporter’s visit to a firing range to shoot assault weapons, a student poll on gun control, pro/con commentaries on gun rights and an editorial on mental illness and violence. Initially, administrators objected to the firing-range visit and warned against publishing photos of students firing guns. After consultation with the SPLC and numerous staff discussions, EICs met with school administration and the package was published without restriction. Urban’s culture is liberal, but students went beyond bias to examine the Second Amendment both pro and con.”

This strong content package includes personal stories, student surveys with well designed infographics, photo illustrations, a shooting rage app for an iPhone, an opinion page with an editorial and two opposing views, and a discussion about the NRA position that violent video games lead to inappropriate gun use.

This work demonstrates how students can approach such a volatile issue to develop strong content packages.

 

 

Written By: Candace Bowen