NYC Youth Over Guns March

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL, on February 14th, activists across the country have intensified their push for gun control legislation. On March 24th, in over 800 cities around the world, approximately one million people participated in the March for Our Lives Rally [1]. Survivors of the FL shooting such as Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, and Emma González delivered emotional speeches and called for

government officials to take action [2]. Kasky declared, “To the leaders, skeptics and cynics who told us to sit down and stay silent: Wait your turn. Welcome to the revolution” [3]. González concluded her seven minutes on stage by saying, “Fight for your lives, before it’s someone else’s job” [4]. The Parkland upperclassmen claimed that gun control was not a partisan issue and advocated for universal background checks, a ban on assault-style weapons, and a ban on bump stocks, or specific actions taken to transform a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm [5].

During the National School Walkout, which occurred on April 20th, hundreds of thousands of students left their classrooms to “[protest] congressional, state, and local failures to take action to prevent gun violence” [6]. As a result of these movements, gun control legislation has been passed at the local and state levels in several states, such as Washington, Illinois, Nebraska, and New Jersey [7]. In addition, at the federal level, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion bill in March that incentivizes state and federal agencies to report more information to the federal government’s gun background check system [8]. Also in March, President Donald J. Trump claimed that his administration would ban bump stocks [9].

Despite the achieved legislation thus far, gun violence in America still poses a considerable problem. In 2018 alone, there have been 23 school shootings, most recently occurring in Santa Fe, TX on May 18th and Noblesville, IN on May 25th [10]. This year, America has averaged slightly more than one mass shooting a week, not to mention the gun-related injuries and deaths that occur daily in Chicago and other cities [11]. While some see susceptible buildings and ineffective law enforcement agencies as the causes of gun violence, others see a lack of awareness and a lack of written legislation as the problem. One such group of people is the gun control advocacy group Youth Over Guns. The group works to raise awareness and money to mitigate gun violence in communities of color and to prevent future gun-related injuries and deaths [12]. The organization teamed up with Parkland student activist Aalayah Eastmond to plan the latest push for gun control [13].

There will be a march in New York City on Saturday, June 2nd to raise awareness about gun violence in urban areas [14]. The march will start at the Korean War Veterans Plaza in Brooklyn Heights at 12 p.m. [15]. Protesters will wear orange and walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and rally in Foley Square [16].

If you see increased gun control as the solution to America’s unique gun violence problem or you want to raise awareness for the children of color who are much more likely to be killed by guns than white children [17], head to the Korean War Veterans Plaza on Saturday and join “the revolution” [18].

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Please note that we are not associated or affiliated with this event.

References

[1] Tim Chaffee, “March for Our Lives Highlights: Students Protesting Guns Say 'Enough Is

Enough',” The New York Times, March 24, 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/us/march-for-our-lives.html.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Lane Murdock, National School Walkout, www.nationalschoolwalkout.net/.

[7] Madison Park, “What Cities and States Are Doing about Guns since the Parkland Shooting,”

CNN, 12 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/04/09/us/gun-laws-since-parkland/index.html.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Saeed Ahmed and Christina Walker, “There Has Been, on Average, 1 School Shooting

Every Week This Year,” CNN, May 25, 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/03/02/us/school-shootings-2018-list-trnd/index.html.

[11] Chaffee, “March for Our Lives Highlights: Students Protesting Guns Say 'Enough Is

Enough'.”

[12] “About,” YOUTH OVER GUNS, www.youthoverguns.com/about.html.

[13] “Parkland, New York City Activists Unite for Gun Control,” NBCNews.com, April 8 2018,

www.nbcnews.com/dateline/video/parkland-new-york-city-activists-unite-for-gun-control-1205881923979.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid.

[17] “About.”

[18] Chaffee, “March for Our Lives Highlights: Students Protesting Guns Say 'Enough Is

Enough'.”