HARRISBURG, Pa. — A rally against gun violence brought 150 Philadelphia students to Harrisburg, where they marched to the Capitol to call for more gun control laws.
Emotions ran high as the students called for measures like more extensive background checks to buy firearms, better control over ghost guns, and requirements to report lost or stolen guns.
“I’m tired of not knowing if my travels to school will be my last travel. I’m tired of wondering if my mother will be burying me one day. I’m tired,” said Elijah Owens, a student at Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia. “I’m tired.”
“Our generation is definitely one that has been through a lot. But we cannot expect change to come if we do not call for it. We have to start demanding for our voices to be heard. We cannot keep letting others speak for us,” said Keyanna Nurse, who also goes to Paul Robeson High School and was named Philadelphia School District’s January Senior of the Month.
Bringing down gun violence, the students said, will require more than just gun reform laws. They also called for overall reforms to the public school system and social support structures.
“We need to start with making our communities safer so that people don’t feel the need to have a gun everywhere they go,” said Nabria Jackson, another student at Paul Robeson High School.
The rally came one day after a gunman opened fire at a mall near Dallas, Texas—killing at least eight people—and just over a week after five family members were shot by a neighbor near Houston.
“All the young people came out here because they don’t think young people should be doing active shooter drills. They don’t think the young people should have to hide under desks,” said State Sen. Sharif Street (D-Phila.). “They think that we, as legislators, have a responsibility to do something about gun violence.”
The state House is expected to vote on four gun control measures as early as this week.
Even if the bills pass, however, they would face long odds in the state Senate, where GOP lawmakers have long been wary of additional gun control measures.
Senate GOP leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment.