CUMMING, GA — The debate over guns is growing even in some of Georgia’s most gun-friendly territories. Forsyth County is solidly conservative, but some high…
CUMMING, GA — The debate over guns is growing even in some of Georgia’s most gun-friendly territories. Forsyth County is solidly conservative, but some high school students say gun attitudes need to change.
«In this county, as we grow up, more kids just in this area want guns,» said Sarah Gates, a sophomore who attends South Forsyth High School. Gates has spent most of her life attending public schools – and she has become uneasy in hers.
South Forsyth High School has a sheriff’s office precinct right behind the school. It’s a place she describes as casual and walkable and yet vulnerable.
«There’s no gate around the school. There’s nothing keeping anyone out. If they want to come in, they just can come in,» Gates said.
«I feel like it would be easy for people to get in and out,» said Toni Winiker, a freshman at nearby Lambert High School.
But that vulnerability doesn’t mean that high school students in Forsyth County necessarily want tighter gun restrictions. Forsyth County is Trump country. In November 2016, Donald Trump won over 70 percent of the vote here.
«I don’t feel like too many guns is part of the problem,» said Elora Emory, a 15-year-old Lambert HS sophomore. Many students here reflect the views of those voters – who say guns aren’t what drive gun violence.
«If you give a gun to a good person they’re not going to shoot anyone. If you give one to someone who’s quote unquote ‘deranged,’ someone who’s thinking about doing something like that, they’re going to do something bad,» said Lambert HS sophomore Jake Wadsworth.
But some students say they see views about guns changing in light of high profile gun violence.
«I feel like if you have to have a license to get a car, you should have to get a license and a class to get a gun,» Emory said.
«I think they’re evolving now because of the more mass shootings going on,» Winiker said.
