Thousands of students in the United States will mark the 19th anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School by walking out of classes on Friday, in a show of unity intended to put pressure on politicians to act in tighter gun restrictions.
Students from more than 2,600 schools and institutions are anticipated to walk out of class at 10 a.m. local time on Friday, organizers say. They have been asked to wear orange, the official color of the campaign against gun violence, and observe a 13-second silence to honor the victims killed at Columbine.
On April 20, 1999, two Columbine seniors killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher before committing suicide. Since then mass shootings have happened with shocking across the United States.
The second deadliest public school shooting in U.S. history happened in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, leaving 17 dead. The shooting set off a national student movement calling for an end to gun violence and tighter gun restrictions.
On Thursday, Colorado gun control activists rallied near Columbine High School, calling for the cease to gun violence.Columbine has not held classes on April 20 since the massacre, a district spokeswoman said so there would be no walkout at the school. Students were encouraged to take part in community service.
Read More: Central Govt to amend the law for the death penalty in child rape cases
The latest national rally comes more than a month after tens of thousands of students from some 3,000 schools participated in the #ENOUGH National School Walkout to suggest that lawmakers seek tighter gun control regulations. It also follows “March For Our Lives” rallies in cities across the United States on March 24 that were some of the biggest U.S. youth demonstrations in decades, with hundreds of thousands of young Americans and their supporters taking to the streets to demand tighter gun laws.
Post Your Comments