OPINION|Barry Richard: Kids, Skip School Walk Out on Wednesday

So, a gaggle of radical groups is encouraging your kids to walk out of school on Wednesday as both a memorial and protest action to mark the one month anniversary of the Parkland shooting in which 17 people were killed.

The event is sponsored by The Women's March Youth EMPOWER, an offshoot of the pink hat brigade that demonstrated in Washington for the Trump inauguration. It is organized by a coalition of groups with such names as Peace First, The Justice League NYC, Rise To Run, The Gathering For Justice and Rock The Vote. They have issued a "toolkit" to willing participants teaching them such helpful skills as how to identify causes that matter to them and how to develop action-based activism skills. They need a toolkit to identify causes that matter to them?

As determined by organizers, the students are to be prepared to angrily demand;

• A ban on assault weapons
• Require universal background checks before gun sales
• Pass a gun violence restraining order law that would allow courts to disarm people who display warning signs of violent behavior (my guess would be all white males)

The plan is for as many students, teachers and "allies" as possible from coast to coast to walk out of classes at 10 am on Wednesday for 17 minutes. Working folks are asked to wear orange and walk off their jobs for 17 minutes in support of the protest.

WARNING TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS: Students who participate in this walkout without the blessing of local school officials can and will likely face sanctions that could include an unexcused absence, docked grades, and suspension.

This is just another cheap and tawdry way for the left to build its voting block. They are using your kids as stooges for their cause which is to continue to whittle away at the 2nd Amendment. The event is being heavily promoted by the media which hopes to build ratings by showing live coverage of your kids marching out of school.

Don't be used by the left and its P.R. arm, the national news media. Tells your kids to be real leaders and stay in school on Wednesday.

Editor's Note: Barry Richard is the afternoon host on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon - 3 p.m. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.