Less than two weeks after Madison’s grade school and university students walked out of class to the state capitol to advocate for gun control reform, 2,500 people gathered for the March for Our Lives protest in Madison, which took place across the country and overtook national media throughout Saturday.
Many of the organizers are high schools students. Although they have years before they are able to vote in elections, many students still feel the need to be politically involved to encourage gun reform. This advocacy has been mirrored around the nation in light of the Parkland shooting, in a movement which has been led by Parkland survivors who lost 17 classmates a little over a month ago.
Since Madison Memorial High School junior Stephanie Trask was born after the Columbine High School shooting, she and her classmates have always experienced active shooter drills during her time in school.
While she is not yet able to vote, Trask and others reiterated the idea that the adults in their lives — legislators, teachers and parents — need to stand up for gun control on their behalf.
As just a high school student, Trask said she should be nervous about giving a speech in class, not about having to speak in front of thousands regarding gun control because people her age are getting killed in school.
“I learned how to shove pencils in a door that was incapable of locking,” Trask said.
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Marchers recited various chants, specifically against the National Rifle Association, such as “Hey ho hey ho the NRA has got to go,” and “What do we want? Gun control. When do we want it? Now.”
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, spoke of her support for the students and her intentions to support stricter gun control through legislation. The Wisconsin State Senate passed a $100 million school safety reform Tuesday, but gun control measures were excluded from the legislation.
“I work for the people who want to see their students leave in school buses, not ambulances,” Baldwin said.
