WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of protestors are expected to march in hundreds of demonstrations across the country on Saturday in an effort to press lawmakers to address gun violence following recent mass shootings in Uvalde (Texas) and Buffalo (New York).
More than 450 protesters have been attending rallies across the country, with the largest gathering in Washington D.C. beginning at noon.
March For Our Lives organized the rallies. It was a youth-driven group that was founded by survivors of 2018’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas school massacre.
Parkland, Florida was the scene of the movement’s inception. Hundreds of protestors gathered at the Pine Trails Park Amphitheater Saturday morning demanding background checks for all gun sales and the introduction of “red flag” laws. They also demanded that the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles be raised from 18 to 21.
The House has passed a “red flag” bill that would allow judges to confiscate firearms from someone who is a danger to themselves or others.
The House also approved a legislative package Wednesday that would increase the minimum age for semi-automatic rifles sales to 21.
It is not clear, however, if these bills will be passed by the Senate.
David Hogg, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate and cofounder of March for Our Lives said that “we need to forget our politics and save children and loved ones from this senseless, horrific violence before it affects them.” He made the statement prior to the rallies.
Mass shootings have been increasing in frequency since March for Our Lives’ last nationwide protests in 2018.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 254 mass shootings occurred in the United States so far this year. These include the Uvalde- and Buffalo shootings.
On May 14, a gunman dressed in white killed 10 people in Buffalo and injured three others in a shooting that authorities described as “racially motivated, hate crimes.”
Ten days later, in Uvalde 19 children, mostly fourth-graders, and two teachers were murdered by a gunman who entered a school on May 24, killing the principal.
Zoe Weissman (President of March For Our Lives In Parkland) told MSNBC that she was in rehearsal for a play when she learned about Uvalde’s tragedy.
Survivor at 16 of the Parkland shootings, she recalled feeling devastated and said that she would continue to fight against gun violence to prevent more children being killed. She also stated that it was her intention to live with the trauma that comes from surviving a mass shooting.
Guns were the leading cause for death in 2020 among U.S. youth aged 1-19 than car crashes, drug overdoses, or cancer.
