Students Just Held a 'Lie-In' at the White House to Demand Gun Control Reform
On February 14, students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida were attacked by a lone gunman who killed 17 in a rampage that would become one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent history. Since then, the teens affected—as well as people around the country—have taken to both social media and traditional media to demand gun reform. But on Monday, students went straight to the White House.
Fittingly, the demonstration coincided with President's Day. A Washington, D.C.-based group known as Teens for Gun Reform staged a lie-in at fence of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to show their solidarity with the students from Parkland. According to the group, they laid down for three minutes in front of the White House to show just how quickly they say shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was able to legally purchase his AR-15. (The AP reports that three minutes is also how long the shooting lasted.) Originally, the lie-in was meant to involve 17 students—one for each person killed in the shooting—but it quickly grew to include more than 100.
"We have organized this protest in solidarity with all of those who were affected by the horrific school shooting in Florida last Wednesday," the organization noted in a statement. "We call on President Trump and leaders from both parties to finally act in the interest of America’s youth and end these tragic mass shootings!"
At the event, organizers read the names and ages of each of the victims, including Alyssa Alhadeff, 14; teacher Scott Beigel, 35; Nicholas Dworet, 17; and teacher Aaron Feis, 37.
The momentum around this conversation shouldn't go away anytime soon, because there's more demonstrations to come: The student survivors of Parkland have announced "The March for Our Lives," which will take place in Washington, D.C. on March 24. Like the Women's March, it will also include satellite demonstrations in "every major city" to send a message to politicians that people have had enough of gun violence.
“We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around," junior Cameron Kasky told ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz. “This isn’t about the GOP; this isn’t about the Democrats. This is about us creating a badge of shame for any politicians who are accepting money from the NRA and using us as collateral."
Beyond this event, Women's March organizers are also looking to enlist students coast-to-coast for a school walkout on March 14, the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, to help build even more traction for gun control reform.
"We are not safe at school. We are not safe in our cities and towns," that walk's Facebook event page explained. "Congress must take meaningful action to keep us safe and pass federal gun reform legislation that address the public health crisis of gun violence." So far, more than 62,000 teachers, students and administrators have signed a pledge to walk out on that day.
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