Students Standing Up and Walking Out To Fight for an End to Gun Violence
By Isabel Indresano 3/15/2018
Students nationwide walked out of their classrooms Wednesday in an effort to push for gun control and to condemn the National Rifle Association and politicians receiving significant donations from the organization.
The youth-led protest began at 10 a.m. Students left their classes for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 lives lost during the Parkland, FL massacre. Some schools marched to federal and state office buildings chanting their anti-gun slogans, gathered in gymnasiums, or took a knee in their halls. They held signs sporting phrases such as “Never again” and “Am I next?” Yet ultimate goal was to tell adults that “enough is enough,” and it is now on them to make Congress and state officials change existing firearm laws.
While some schools had hundred of students in attendance, others only had a few sole partakers going against administrators in order to participate. Even so, one historian labels Wednesday’s demonstrations as the largest protest of its kind in the history of the nation. Young people across the nation have gained inspiration from the survivors of the Parkland shooting, who have been heavily advocating and lobbying for stricter gun control since the incident.
The newest student initiative is a march on Washington on March 24th called The March for Our Lives. For students who can’t get to Washington, smaller marches will take place in other major cities the same day.