Georgia

'People Are Fed Up': Students Walk Out of US Schools to Call for Stricter Gun Laws

"This is in our hands now, and if any elected official gets in our way, we will vote them out," said Matt Post, a senior from Montgomery County, Maryland

no description

Tens of thousands of young people in U.S. communities big and small walked out of school to demand action on gun violence Wednesday in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged since the massacre in Parkland, Florida.

At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — where 17 people were killed by a former student — students filed outside at 10 a.m. and gathered to honor the victims of the Feb. 14 massacre. After holding a moment of silence, speakers addressed fellow classmates and faculty members, and warned lawmakers to "keep in mind that many of us will vote this November and many more will flood the polls in 2020."

Carolyn Kaster/AP
Students hold up signs with names of victims of the massacre at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during a rally in front of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Students march up Pennsylvania Avenue toward Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Students walked out of school to protest gun violence in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged in response to last month's massacre of 17 people at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gather on the football field to honor the memories of 17 classmates that were killed during a mass shooting at the school on March 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida. They were joined in spirit by students around the country to mark the one month anniversary of the shooting with a day of walk outs and protests.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Students raise their fists during a walkout to protest gun violence at Lincoln Park High School, Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Chicago, one month after a deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images
Students at the Philadelphia High School of Creative And Performing Arts gather for a walkout to address school safety and gun violence on March 14, 2018, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
News 4
Students from surrounding schools gather at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan to mark one month since the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and to demand an end to gun violence on March 14, 2018, in New York City, New York.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Students at Yarmouth High School participate in a walkout to protest gun violence, Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Yarmouth, Maine. Leaders of the rally address the crowd from the back of a pick-up truck in front of the school. Yarmouth is one of the few schools in Maine that did not cancel school on Wednesday as the state digs out from the third major winter storm in two weeks.
Steve Helber/AP
Students from Douglas Freeman High School walk out of school to protest gun violence in Richmond, Virginia, March 14, 2018.
Michael Rubinkam/AP
Students hold their lighted cellphones at a rally at Parkland High School outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
Darron Cummings/AP
Students walk out of Zionsville High School during a student walkout, Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Zionsville, Indiana.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Students from Miami County Day School walk out to protest gun violence in Miami Shores, Florida, Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
Lynne Sladky/AP
Students from Westglades Middle School walk out of their school as part of a nationwide protest against gun violence, Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida. Students across the country participated in walkouts Wednesday to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland.
AP
Students hold a sign during a student walkout outside Perry Hall High School in Perry Hall, Maryland, Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
John Minchillo/AP
Students exit the building before gathering on their soccer field for a 17-minute walkout protest at the Stivers School for the Arts, Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Dayton, Ohio.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Students rally in front of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Students walked out of school to protest gun violence in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged in response to last month's massacre of 17 people at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Julio Cortez/AP
Students from James Ferris High School assemble outside the school during a student walkout, Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Matt Dunham/AP
Students, aged 17 and 18, hold a banner outside the front of the American School in London, after taking part in a 17-minute walkout in the school playground, Wednesday, March 14, 2018. From Maine to Hawaii, students planned to walk out of school Wednesday to protest gun violence in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged in response to last month's massacre of 17 people at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The more than 3,000 walkouts were organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, which brought hundreds of thousands to Washington, D.C., last year. The group urged students to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes — one minute for each victim in the Florida shooting.

Thousands of students in the Washington D.C., area gathered in front of the White House, holding colorful signs and cheering in support of gun control. The students chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho. The NRA has got to go!" President Donald Trump was in Los Angeles at the time.

Among the students in D.C. was 16-year-old Jackson Monroe, of Bethesda, Maryland. He told NBC that 15-year-old kids should not be worried about getting shot at school and he hoped the protests spur lawmakers to pass sensible gun laws. 

"I trust someone with a sensible mind in government will do something about it. I trust someone does something. People are fed up," Monroe, a sophomore at Chevy Chase High School, said.

The students marched to the U.S. Capitol where they were joined by Democratic lawmakers in demanding gun control legislation. Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi praised the students for commanding the attention of the nation by "bringing this fight to the doorstep of America."

Matt Post, a senior from Montgomery County, Maryland, who spoke at the rally, lambasted lawmakers who value "blood money" from the National Rifle Association "over the lives of children," and called out the White House and Congress for having a "moral problem."

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School and other schools across the country walked out of class to honor the victims of the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida, and to push for changes to gun laws.

"Their right to own an assault rifle does not outweigh our right to live," Post said. "The adults have failed us. This is in our hands now, and if any elected official gets in our way, we will vote them out."

Students in cities including Chicago, San Diego, New York City, Los AngelesMiami and across the Bay Area, from the elementary to college level, were taking up the call in a variety of ways. At some schools, students didn't go outside, but lined hallways or took a knee. Others gathered in gyms, auditoriums or on football fields and honored the victims by holding a moment of silence around 17 empty chairs. 

They also took their message to statehouses across the country, declaring enough is enough.

https://twitter.com/annehelen/status/973971475895017473

Though the demonstrations were mostly peaceful, in Chicago, students from Kenwood High School reported seeing at least five classmates handcuffed, one of them detained, according to the Chicago Sun Times.  A Chicago Police Department spokesman said the 16-year-old student was placed in custody after walking out into the traffic lanes of Lake Shore Drive, blocking a thoroughfare. It was not immediately clear if the student will face any charges. 

In joining the protests, the students followed the example set by many of the survivors of the Florida shooting, who have become gun-control activists, leading rallies, lobbying legislators and giving TV interviews. Their efforts helped spur passage last week of a Florida law curbing access to assault rifles by young people.

"In Florida, the governor is already changing laws. We know it can happen, we just have to keep pushing for it," student Grace Delvecchio told NBC Philadelphia.

NBC10’s meteorologist Steve Sosnia calls this chill a “shock to the system”; we’re predicting cold Monday, warmer Tuesdays, and another chill the rest of this week.

After the walkout Wednesday, some students in Massachusetts said they planned to rally outside the Springfield headquarters of Smith & Wesson to call on the firearms manufacturer to help curb gun violence.

The walkouts have also drawn support from companies including media conglomerate Viacom, which suspended regularly scheduled programming on MTV, BET and all its other networks for 17 minutes during the walkouts. Students temporarily took over MTV's social media accounts.

Some schools applauded students for taking a stand or at least tolerated the walkouts, while others threatened discipline.

About 10 students left Ohio's West Liberty-Salem High School — which witnessed a shooting last year — despite a warning they could face detention or more serious discipline.

Police in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta patrolled Kell High, where students were threatened with unspecified consequences if they participated in the walkout. Students in Sayreville, New Jersey, were also threatened with two days of suspension if they participated in the protest, NBC New York reported.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had no immediate public comment on the walkout.

Meanwhile, free speech advocates geared up for a battle. The American Civil Liberties Union issued advice for students who walked out, saying schools can't legally punish them more harshly because of the political nature of their message. In Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas, some lawyers said they would provide free legal help to students who are punished.

It's one of several protests planned for coming weeks. The March for Our Lives rally for school safety is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the nation's capital on March 24, its organizers said. And another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.

Associated Press writers Jeff Martin and Kantele Franko contributed to this report.  

Copyright The Associated Press
Exit mobile version