Students Flip the Script on Gun Violence

On Saturday, students from the Florida high school that was the scene of a mass shooting in February inspired more than 800 “March for Our Lives” rallies demanding better gun laws. The marches came on the heels of national school walkouts organized by students on March 14. Of course, Americans have been talking about the need for gun reform for a very, very long time. But the way young people have now taken the lead, demanding that the shooting result in change and creating a playbook for other kids to copy, is likely to finally force lawmakers to take action.

Here’s what’s different this time. First, while we’ve seen many similar marches in the Trump era, this was the first major one largely organized by kids. While they undoubtedly garnered support from adults and celebrities, children were the most prominent voices calling on people to participate and speaking at the march in the nation’s capital, which was the focus of much media coverage. It’s also the first time that youth have had such prominent voices on the issue in the media. After past school shootings, we’ve typically heard more from parents.