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| A picture of the rally in front of the Washington Monument in D.C. |
According to CNN, the main goal of the protest was to achieve three things.
1. Pass a law to ban assault weapons that are frequently being used to carry out shootings across America.
2. Restrict the amount of ammunition and stop the sale of high capacity magazines to reduce the fatality if shootings.
3. Close loopholes, have stricter background checks, and require them on all gun purchases.
The march gained huge popularity from many celebrities like George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg. All of the previously listed celebrities donated $500,000 each. They were the biggest monetary supporters, but other celebrities like Amy Schumer, Harry Styles, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, and even Kim Kardashian all have offered support for the rally. Other celebrities like Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, and Demi Lovato have all reported to have participated in the march. The support of celebrities have been huge help as it spreads the message and bring awareness. Half time performer at the recent Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake tweeted this message to his 65.5 million followers. Does this type of involvement show actual sympathy or is he just trying to do what people want him to do?
The National Rifle Association responses to these rallies have been very interesting. Grant Stinchfield, a NRA TV host, said "March for Our Lives is backed by radicals with a history of violent threats, language and actions." I found this to be very spontaneous as many of the speakers at the Washington event were young students. Calling them the names that he did just seems to be petty and that he had no actual support to back up his clams.
Emma Gonzalez recently gained attention in the media saying "We call B.S." referring to NRA backed politicians. She was also a speaker on March 24th, and provided a heartfelt message in six minutes and twenty seconds, which is the amount of time it took for the gunman to kill 17 of her classmates on February 14th. She begged politicians to make changes in the way people can buy guns so no other student will ever have to face what she has.
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| Emma Gonzalez speaking on stage |
Another speaker is also making head lines after she threw up on stage because of how worked up she is over the whole topic. Same Fuentes, a student who was wounded from a gunshot in Parkland, Florida had this to say, “and the moment we speak up, we’re scolded that we are not old enough. It’s as if we need permission to ask our friends not to die. Lawmakers and politicians will scream guns are not the issue. But can’t look me in the eye.” Soon after she vomited on national television. With cheers from the crowds and help from a friend, she was able to get a hold of herself. She returned to the microphone and finished her speech.
The march had a huge turn out and sparked even more events to put pressure on legislators to change the laws on gun. A group of students decided to walk 50 miles from Wisconsin to the hometown of Paul Ryan, House Speaker of the United States. The forty students are leading the battle for gun reform in the United States. Katie Eder, a fellow student who helped create the event said "we wanted the country to know that the young people aren’t going anywhere; that we want our voices to be heard and we want change to be made and we are going to continue to march. Fifty miles and then 50 more miles, and 50 more miles after that."
This march occurred a day after President Donald Trump announced the Justice Department will continue with the plan to ban bump stocks. For those unfamiliar with what a bump stock is, it is an accessories that can be installed onto a semi-automatic rifle allowing it to fire at a much faster rate. The increase rate is very similar to what a fully automatic rifle can do. This could possibly be a huge advancement as now change is actually starting to come to the forefront.
If you would like to join the movement, feel free to show lawmakers by signing up here.
