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‘I just want to see change’ UW-Madison students walk out of class, join high schoolers against gun violence By Lawrence Andrea CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
CAMERON LANE -FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Students from across Madison marched to the Capitol Wednesday, joining in a national walkout for gun reform.
Thousands of local students march on Capitol steps as part of national walkout for gun reform, common-sense legislation By Max Bayer CITY NEWS EDITOR
In the wake of last month’s mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., local Madison-area high schoolers decided they were tired of being ignored. Around 5,000 students marched to the Capitol steps Wednesday as part of a national school walkout to protest new gun legislation. But the students weren’t just the protestors. They were the organizers, fundraisers and demand-crafters. The march began at Madison East High School and grew to be as long as two full city blocks as the activists approached the Capitol. John Crim, a student at Madison West High School, said the event and the turnout was empowering. “To have a cohesive group of all the high schools in the area to come together for one topic, it was a really big impact to our society and I’m really glad it happened,” he said. Crim added that there was so much unity for this event because of one commonality: They were all students. “We live in America where gun control and gun issues [are] a problem,” he said. “So we all have to come together as a cohesive group to eliminate that.” And as the students marched,
it was the adults that either joined in or stood alongside the street clapping and cheering in support. For them, many of whom were parents of the young activists, watching students organize themselves created a heightened sense of pride. “You can’t help but feel some hope for our kids and future generations because of the actions these kids are taking today,” said Joe Kuns, whose daughter was one of the organizers at Middleton High School. Kuns added that while many of the student organizers can’t vote yet, they will be able to soon and that politicians affiliated with the NRA “better watch out.” “This is a groundswell movement and these kids aren’t going to forget,” he said. “For whatever reason, this is the time where these kids have said ‘enough is enough, we’re not going to put up with it anymore.’” Chloe Baumbach, a senior at Memorial High School, was one of the organizers of the event and said afterward that the whole day was surreal. “I was a little terrified of how today would go,” she said. “Being students organizing something, you never know if you’re going to get listened to or not.” But listened to they were.
Streets were closed, employees cheered from their balconies and camera crews filmed the scene. However, for these students, their only barometer of being heard is whether legislation is enacted. After the students arrived at the Capitol, both student leaders and elected officials, including state Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, and state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, spoke about the need for more stringent gun legislation. Jadah Mims, a freshman at Madison West High School, said she specifically wants to see assault weapons banned. “That’s the main problem,” she said. “The guns that fire faster are taking more lives in our schools.” Kelda Roys, a Democratic candidate for governor and former assemblywoman, accompanied her two stepdaughters in the march and said that Gov. Scott Walker has the opportunity to do right by the young people in attendance. “These are not hard calls,” she said, referencing some of the new legislation passed in Florida like keeping guns away from domestic abusers and raising the minimum age of purchase to 21. Some of the students then made
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It’s not just a high school movement. Hundreds of UW-Madison students and community members gathered Wednesday at noon on Library Mall to get the attention of legislators and advocate for tighter gun laws as part of National Walkout Day. What started as four students chanting “Enough is enough” and “The NRA has got to go” quickly grew into a crowd of about 500 people. Some students — many of whom left their classes to participate in the movement — shared stories about how gun violence had negatively impacted their lives. Jack Larsen, a UW-Madison freshman who helped organize the walkout, said although he has only been at the university for a few months, he has already experienced two shooter drills. Larsen referenced a November incident
in which a man with a gun was reported on Bascom Hill. Although the report was later deemed “erroneous,” Larsen said his dorm went into lockdown and many of his friends in the area at the time were frightened. He said this “shook” him.. “No one should have to be afraid to go home or to walk past their bank or to pick up groceries from the corner store,” Larsen said. “It is time to speak out. It is time to raise our voices and say ‘enough is enough.’ It is time to raise our voices and say ‘never again.’” Larsen said these public demonstrations are necessary to show politicians and others in power that student voices “will be heard no matter what.” “It is time to say to our politicians, to our community leaders, to anyone in power: We are done
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CAMERON LANE -FLEHINGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Students from UW-Madison and local city schools left class early Wednesday to march on the Capitol, caling on lawmakers to create stricter gun laws.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”