At Trinity Classical Academy, students are expected to learn about multiple world views.
Those views may not always align with what each student actually believes, but Liz Caddow, one of the founders of Trinity and a government teacher at the school, wants them to be challenged.
“We can engage in the conversation,” Caddow said. “I don’t think that there are many schools where this is happening, where you can actually have civil discourse and agree to disagree.”
Caddow was referring to the debate that was held at Trinity on Tuesday that saw government students asking questions of local politicians on a wide range of topics — gun control, taxation and immigration, just to name a few. Trinity holds a debate like this twice a year.
The guests invited to debate were Santa Clarita City Councilman Jason Gibbs, a member of the Republican Central Committee of the 40th Assembly District; Andrew Taban, founder and chair of the Santa Clarita Democrats; John Due, chair of the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County; and Alexander Avalos, member of the Democratic Socialists of America party.
The guests first met with the students in small groups, to help the students to get an idea of what each party represents before taking part in a traditional debate format.
Taban said hearing the different perspectives was interesting in that some of the desired end results were the same, but how each party wants to get there may differ.
“There are some issues that a lot of us agree on,” Taban said. “Everybody wants the success of an individual. Everyone believes in something kind of similar. It’s just how are we going to execute it.”
One issue that saw a wide variety of responses was gun control. Due was quite clear with his opinion on that matter: the more guns, the better.
“You should have the right to defend yourself,” Due said. “You should have the right to own guns.”
Avalos said that as a follower of Marxist principles, he doesn’t believe that guns or other weapons should be forcibly removed from the working class.
“I do think the working class should have its own power to defend itself, particularly when you look at the history of the United States,” Avalos said, adding that some regulations for convicted domestic abusers or others with a history of violence could be good for the country.
Gibbs took the question in a somewhat different direction, saying gun control is less about owning a gun and more about how regulated the gun market is.
“If you go back to the Constitution on what it says about the Second Amendment — ‘A well-regulated militia being necessary for the security of free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed’ — it is the only item in the Bill of Rights that says, ‘You shall not infringe,’” Gibbs said. “So the question becomes, ‘What is an infringement?’”
Gibbs listed background checks and waiting periods as regulations that could be construed as infringing on someone’s right to bear arms.
Taban, who said he is a gun owner, said everybody should be able to have access to a gun, but within reason.
“The problem here is, who is getting guns and why are they getting guns?” Taban said. “The issue is, are they mentally ill, how are they getting access to this and how can we close the loopholes to it.”
For Taban, the right to own a weapon isn’t the issue; it’s about ensuring people who have a history of violence don’t get access to them, thereby preventing mass shootings from happening, in theory.
“So, have your gun, do what you got to do, just don’t hurt the public and I think that’s where we seem to have a bit of an issue on it,” Taban said. “It’s just background checks and some regulation.”
Gibbs said during the debate that, sitting next to Taban in the middle of the table with Due and Avalos on the flanks, it was somewhat reminiscent of how society is currently constructed. Caddow agreed, noticing that students were asking Gibbs and Taban their thoughts on an issue while others would ask Due and Avalos their thoughts on other issues.
“I think they’re actually showing the big dichotomy where (Taban) and I, our answers are close,” Gibbs said. “And there’s little pieces that almost seem symbolic.”
