March For Our Lives estimated to be third largest gathering in American history
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Words and podcast by Miranda Kiner
It is estimated that anywhere between one to two million attended the March For Our Lives at 763 locations nationwide on March 24, 2018, according to The Washington Post.
Sparked by the recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida, they are gathered to protest gun violence and advocate for legislation on gun control.
Kent State freshman human resource management and business management major Hailey Mezurek attended the march in Cleveland.
“I think a large part of this is, especially our generation, we’ve kind of grown up seeing these kind of things and particularly, recently it’s become more clumped and I guess more common and that thought of those acts of violence becoming more common, it’s really sickening. The point where our generation is getting to that age where we can do something about it, where we can register to vote where our voices are kind more validated because reaching that age of consciousness.”
This protest is estimated to be the third largest in American history, just behind the 2017 and 2018 Women’s Marches.
“Obviously it doesn’t write legislation, it doesn’t necessarily directly get people to the polls, but I think seeing that power in numbers, seeing that influence empowers other people to take that stance on those issues and take that action,” said Mezurek.
There are also those who think the march is unnecessary, like Kent State senior biology major and the former president for KSU’s TurningPoint USA chapter, Kaitlin Bennett.
“They aren’t educated in what they’re advocating for,” said Bennett. “I feel where they’re coming from, I get that they’re empathetic to what’s going on – to the shootings, to the people dying in general, like I get it, I feel bad for that too; however, banning guns and limiting access to guns for citizens is not the answer. A lot of them don’t know what they’re advocating for, they don’t know what type of fire arms they’re wanting banned, they don’t know what the laws are already on the books.”
Bennett also says she isn’t concerned with the large turnout.
“Their numbers don’t really bother me because at the end of the day, there are so many Americans out there that work and they have things to do, they don’t really go out trying to strip away our Second Amendment.”
