Led by the impressively mature and expressive teenage survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that killed 17, hundreds of thousands of young people and their supporters took to the streets in peaceful protest Saturday, calling for "common sense gun control laws."
The largest crowd was in Washington, D.C., but tens of thousands also rallied in other cities around the world, with over a million total anticipated at some 800 rallies worldwide,
The National Rifle Association and politicians whose silence is bought by them were the main targets. One of the hallmarks of these young activists is that they are articulate, intelligent, savvy about government and politics -- and they are also practical.
They are not calling for banning all guns; there is no hysteria in their tone -- only sorrow and determination to get something done. They're demanding universal background checks that work, raising the age for gun purchases, and a ban on assault-type rifles and high capacity magazines.
One of the most effective rhetorical flourishes in the many, brief speeches given by these young people was the repetition of a demand for action from politicians, followed by the promise that non-action will have consequences: "We will vote you out." It became a chant from the crowd: "Vote them out."
Other notable rallying cries were: "Why do your guns matter more than our lives?" and "Our ballots will stop bullets." In fact, a major focus of these rallies is registering young people and others to vote. And, for those not yet 18, work to get others to vote.
The White House put out a rather generic statement offering support to the students, without being critical of the NRA or politicians. But it was not from the president, himself; as of early evening he had made no comment. He is spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago and went golfing Saturday morning, according to the Associated Press.
Not surprising, not at all.
Ralph
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