By Dexter T. Manglicmot
EBC Washington D.C. Bureau
WASHINGTON D.C. (Eagle News) — The scenario played out the same throughout the country. Students in campuses across the nation waited for something that they themselves organized to unfold. As their class clocks struck 10 o’clock Wednesday morning they walked out of their classrooms, many onto football fields, some into school auditoriums, and others onto their courtyards and quads. In Washington D.C., however, students found themselves in a very advantageous location. They were in the backyard of the nation’s capital and that is where many of them headed to make their voices heard.
Students from the District of Columbia as well as from Maryland and Virginia made their way and united at the foot of the U.S. Capitol building to show not only their solidarity with fellow students across the country but also to let lawmakers and politicians know that they are a force to be reckoned with, if not now, in the very near future, especially when the next presidential election rolls around.
“If you think about the fact that every 15-year-old is going to be able to vote by the time the next election comes, this is them. These are the kids who are going to be able to do that,” said Faith Godwin who accompanied her daughter Lilly to the walkout.
Other parents felt that the impact of the growing disapproval of the youth with current gun laws would be felt by politicians even sooner than the next presidential election in 2020.
“I have a message for congress, they better heed it,” said John Newman, a grandfather of ten and a resident of Wheaton, Maryland. “Maybe these kids can’t vote but their moms, and dads, and uncles, and aunts, and grandparents all can vote. If they don’t outlaw the possession of automatic and semi-automatic weapons by anyone who is not in the armed services of the United States, their career is over, they could kiss their career and their political perks goodbye. It’s that simple.”
It was clear that the aim of the students gathered on the lawn of the Capitol was not only to remember those who were killed in school shooting but also to advocate stricter gun control laws.
“We believe that we as teenagers are uniquely affected by this cause and we think it is incumbent upon us to speak up for teenagers worldwide,” said Michael Kerns of Gonzaga College High School. “We’d like assault weapons bans, normal gun control regulations to be put in place. We haven’t seen much yet and we think that’s terrible.”
The nationwide walkout happened on March 14, 2018, a month to the date of the deadly school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Students from all over the U.S. staged a walkout from 10:00 a.m. to 10:17 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to remember the 17 people killed in the massacre.
(Eagle News Service)
