Students across the country stage walkouts to protest gun violence one week after Florida shooting

Students across the nation held walkouts Wednesday to show solidarity with the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in response to the deadly shooting one week ago at the school.

Students in states like Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, and Minnesota have walked out from classes as they stand in solidarity with the shooting survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who are calling for action to be taken to combat gun violence.

In Florida, students trekked to the state Capitol building urging for a ban on weapons like the AR-15 rifle that was used in the Florida shooting last week. The students chanted, “Vote them out!” Some students plan on meeting with Republican Gov. Rick Scott to discuss the issue.


“This is for every single kid who fears for their life,” said Alfonso Calderon, a Stoneman Douglas student, according to CNN.

“This is more than Parkland. This is more than Florida,” he added. “This is more than the United States. This is something serious. This is about human lives.”

Swarms of teenagers from the Maryland suburbs headed to the Washington, D.C., via the D.C. Metro system to stage demonstrations calling for action to address gun violence.


The walkouts and the meeting come just a week after the school shooting, which took the lives of 17 individuals.

A National School Walkout is also planned for March 14, in addition to a March for Our Lives rally on March 24.

President Trump is hosting a listening session with Stoneman Douglas students and their parents Wednesday at the White House, in addition to families who were affected by Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

After last Wednesday’s shooting, Trump instructed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to outline regulations that would outlaw “bump stocks,” which modify guns to fire bullets more rapidly.

Nikolas Cruz is the 19-year-old suspect in last week’s shooting. He is in custody and faces 17 counts of premeditated murder.

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