By Madelyn Moua, Staff Photographer & Bethany Pham, Staff Writer
Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., students were compelled to take action against what they deem a national crisis in gun control. Along with an upcoming 17-minute national school walkout dedicated to the 17 victims of the shooting on March 14, MSD students have also championed a larger and more formal rally known as March for Our Lives.
The March for Our Lives is a public demonstration planned to take place on Saturday, March 24, in Washington, D.C. and across the US, where people will march together to end gun violence and demand school safety to be a priority. Never Again MSD leaders Emma González, Cameron Kasky and David Hogg arranged the March for Our Lives movement.
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kasky said, “The thing that inspired us to create the march was people saying, ‘You are all talking about gun control, and this is not the time to talk about gun control—this is the time to grieve and time to mourn. And we understand that, and we said, now might not be the time to talk about gun control. Here’s the time to talk about gun control: March 24.”
The movement has drummed up considerable monetary support from numerous celebrities like Oprah, George and Amal Clooney and Steven Spielberg. Support from figures like Kendall Jenner, Khloe and Kim Kardashian, Alysia Reiner, Chelsea Handler and Ben Platt have been published on various social media platforms as well.
The movement has moved students all over the country to take action, stand for their beliefs and speak out on how they think the future of gun control should look like.
“So many cities have created their own branches of March for Our Lives,” said Kasky. “They’ve all been reaching out to us and taking it into their own hands… it’s proof that [more gun regulations] isn’t red versus blue or generation versus generation.”
This upcoming public display stresses the practicality of gun control and regulations. Whether you agree with the politics—if you see politics in this at all—or not, the students who have demanded to make their voices heard is something to celebrate.
The closest March for Our Lives rally to Fountain Valley High School is being held at Centennial Park in Santa Ana.
