BY ROB OKUN | Within the last few weeks, citizens in Israel and the republic of Georgia took to the streets and successfully stopped wildly unpopular actions by their governments. This spring, are we about to see that happen in the U.S.?
In the 14 years since the Columbine High School massacre, there have been 377 school shootings, and more than 349,000 students have experienced gun violence at school. Yet little has changed.
Yes, a month after last May’s school shootings in Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed modest gun reform legislation, the first law in nearly three decades. In the wake of the Nashville murders of six, including three 9-year-olds, isn’t it time to go further? In the last week, we got a hint that the answer is yes: thousands of people, including many students, have flooded the Tennessee Capitol building demanding gun control.
On Wednesday, April 5, students across the country walked out of campuses in a coordinated campaign organized by Students Demand Action. The group published online a comprehensive action toolkit which, they say, can be used anytime.
I hope that not just students—but people everywhere—will organize mass demonstrations in state capitals and Washington, D.C. Perhaps they’re being planned—right now—for the day before Mother’s or Father’s Day. Or, maybe, there will be rolling actions in the streets over the five weeks between those holidays (May 13–June 17).
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