A little more than a week after the worst school shooting in the history of the United States, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have turned their grief into anger in response to the lack of policy surrounding gun control. Students boarded buses and headed to Tallahassee, FL in order to appear before the state legislature. Their goal was to push Congress to action. As both students and responsible citizens of the United States, we owe it to our peers to fight this battle alongside them.
Here are ways to support the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre:
Contact your State Representatives
Dial (202)-224-3121 and request to speak with your state representative to let them know that you have had enough. Americans for Responsible Solutions have provided a script to follow when contacting your representatives:
Hi, my name is [Your Name] and I’m a constituent of [Representative Name] calling from [Your City/Town]. I’m calling about the gun lobby’s attempts to push its dangerous agenda through Congress. This includes the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill that would severely threaten public safety and put law enforcement at risk. In light of the recent mass shootings, we need [Representative Name] to find the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and do something to make our communities safer from gun violence.
What is [Representative Name’s] position on this dangerous bill?
Purchase a MSD Strong T-Shirt
Parkland’s Parents’ Association organized a fundraiser and proceeds will be given to the families of victims, first responders and the school’s Memorial Fund. Buy a t-shirt for $20 here.
Donate to the victims’ families
Several GoFundMe pages have been created by the families of the victims including:
Colin Hackley / Reuters
Help send students to Washington
A GoFundMe has been created to send fifty Marjory Stoneman Douglas students to Washington. These students will appear before the Senate and push for gun control enforcement.
Participate in the National School Walkout on March 14th
Organized by The Women’s March organizers, the National Walkout calls for “students, teachers, administrators, parents and allies to walk out for 17 minutes– one for every person killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Time).” The walkout will occur on March 14th at 10 am in each time zone across the United States in solidarity for the victims and to protest the inaction of Congress.
Participate in the National High School Walkout for Anti-Gun Violence on April 20th
The walkout is scheduled on April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. A Change.org petition page has been created, calling for high school students to “walk out of school, wear orange and protest online and in your communities.” The petition does not have a specified time as of now, and currently holds over 137,000 signatures, with a goal of 150,000.
Zach Gibson / Getty
Join the March For Our Lives on March 24th
The March For Our Lives is “created by, inspired by, and led by students” who will no longer tolerate the cycle of mass shootings and the inaction that comes with it. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, along with thousands of other students across the United States, plan to storm the streets of Washington and other major cities in order to fight for a change in policy and to prioritize the safety of students while in school. Sister marches in New York City, Philadelphia, Broward County and many others have are currently planned. See the full list here.
To the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School– you are not alone. #NeverAgain
Sources:
https://giffords.org/act/call-congress-now/
http://time.com/5165794/student-protests-walkouts-florida-school-shooting/
https://www.change.org/p/u-s-senate-national-high-school-walk-out-for-anti-gun-violence
https://www.marchforourlives.com/