2,500 people marched to the Wisconsin State Capitol on March 24 to protest gun violence in the March For Our Lives campaign spearheaded by the survivors of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and many students and teachers spoke at the march. Their main focus was twofold: to denounce gun violence and to encourage voting.
“If they will not listen to our voices, we will force them to listen to our votes,” UW-Madison freshman Jack Larsen, one of the Madison march’s organizers said at the end of the speeches. Larsen also encouraged voters to turn out and to take a stance on gun control at the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 3. Other speakers also reiterated the importance of the midterm elections in November.
Denouncing gun violence, encouraging voting, rallying and speaking out coalesce to foster the ultimate goal of this movement: to change the narrative around guns and gun control in America. This began with the March For Our Lives campaign; but there is more coming.
March For Our Lives organizers also called for Town Hall For Our Lives on April 7; they asked that every member of Congress hold a town hall meeting to discuss gun violence and gun control with their constituents that day. They’ve partnered with Town Hall Project to accomplish this goal.
Organizers hope Town Hall For Our Lives encourages constituents to engage in dialogues with their representatives and politicians, regardless of party affiliation. If representatives decide not to attend, their opponents in the upcoming primary and general elections will be invited in their place.
As we move further into 2018, it’s clear conversations about gun control are not fading away; the movement is gaining political traction.
Besides Town Hall For Our Lives, organizers planned a walkout for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.
“The only power I have currently is to march, and protest, and rally, and speak. I do not have a vote yet. I need yours,” Stephanie Trask, a Memorial High School sophomore who helped organize the Madison March, said.
It is our duty, as citizens, to protect Trask — and our own — power. Local, state and federal elections are all important; if you can vote, then you must.
Show up. Speak out. Fight.