March For Our Lives
Following the tragic and horrific shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School, a group of students set it upon themselves to lead the charge in the fight to end gun violence and to call for gun control in a country losing so many every day.
Thus began the beginning of a revolution led by America's brave youth, #MarchForOurLives
Information below is from their Organisation's Website: https://marchforourlives.com/home/
Mission Statement
Not one more. We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of an assault rifle to save the lives of students. We cannot allow one more family to wait for a call or text that never comes. Our children and teachers are dying. We must make it our top priority to save these lives.
This is not just schools, though. This is churches, nightclubs, concerts, movie theaters, airports, and more. A child should not fear a bullet on their walk home. We may be children, but we are not fighting for just children. All lives are precious, and our country must make the safety of its citizens a number one priority.
March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students of all ethnicities, religions, and sexualities across the country. We will no longer sit and wait for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass shootings. The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is assure that no special interest group or political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country. We demand morally-just leaders to rise up from both parties in order to ensure public safety.
Specifically, we are working towards…
Universal, comprehensive background checks
Bringing the ATF into the 21st century with a digitized, searchable database
Funds for the Center for Disease Control to research the gun violence epidemic in America
High-capacity magazine ban
Assault weapons ban
We came together on March 24th and through continued unity, we will save lives. We will not stop our advocacy until we see the change we demand – a change that is necessary in order to save innocent lives across our nation.
How We Save Lives
1. Fund gun violence research and gun violence prevention/intervention programs.
We must provide the CDC with dedicated funding to research gun violence as a public health issue. Even the original sponsor of the law that limits the CDC’s ability to do this research, former Congressman Jay Dickey, said that it was a mistake. More than 100 medical organizations have called on Congress to restore funding. Furthermore, we believe that gun violence and prevention community work is essential to reducing gun violence and these groups should be funded fully.
2. Eliminate absurd restrictions on ATF.
The gun industry has operated mostly unchecked for far too long. ATF, the only federal agency with jurisdiction to regulate the gun industry, has been operating with one hand tied behind its back – unable to even digitize records of gun sales – or require gun dealers to conduct annual inventory checks to make sure they aren’t missing any guns. The ATF needs to become a modern agency, one capable of keeping receipts and efficiently regulating this massive industry.
3. Universal background checks.
It is too easy to obtain a firearm. Right now, federal law only requires you to obtain a background check if you purchase a gun from a licensed dealer. We must close the private sale loophole and make sure all sales undergo a background check.
4. High-capacity magazine ban.
High-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds serve only one purpose – to allow someone to shoot as many bullets as possible, in the shortest amount of time. These magazines are devastating and need to be banned.
5. Limit firing power on the streets.
Weapons of war have no place in our communities. Our nation requires a comprehensive assault weapons ban that prohibits the future production and sale of these weapons and provides a solution for dealing with those assault weapons that are already owned, such as a buyback program or registration. Limiting high-powered weapons to the military has worked elsewhere to eliminate the opportunity for mass shootings.
From organising one of America's greatest displays of Freedom of Speech with the 'March for our Lives' Rally at Washington DC on Saturday the 24th of March (With nearly a million participants along with 800 sister events with thousands each in attendance worldwide), to planning national walk outs in schools, it's hard to believe that just over a month before this major rally the students who ran the charge were themselves fearing for their lives, losing 17 of their classmates to a gun that tore apart their school.
A group formed by Cameron Kasky and his school friends in the first four days after the shooting, The initial three co-founders being Kasky, Alex Wind, and Sofie Whitney. On February 15, 2018, one day after the massacre, Kasky met with Wind at a candlelight vigil. Wind stated, "The day after the shooting, we said something needs to happen; there needs to be a central space; there needs to be a movement." After the vigil, Kasky invited Wind and Whitney to his house. Kasky came up with the name "Never Again" while the group stayed up through the night to make plans, and he posted "Stay alert. #NeverAgain" to Facebook.
Over the next three days, the group gained over 35,000 followers on Facebook. On February 17, 2018 Kasky recruited Douglas students David Hogg, Emma González, and Delaney Tarr at a gun-control rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they spoke; other students quickly joined. The students gave as many interviews as they could to television networks, they worked quickly to take advantage of the national media attention given to the shooting and its aftermath.
